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| Natalie Nakase was named coach of the GOlden State Valyries of the WNBA. |
The Golden State Valkyries have named Natalie Nakase as head coach, the first Asian American woman to coach a professional basketball team.
“It means a lot," the 44-year old Nakase said about the historic feat while holding back tears. "I fell in love with this sport when I was six. I played every day, that’s all I knew.”
Nakase, a Japanese American, takes the helm of the women's pro-teammValkyries following over 16 years of coaching professional basketball, including 10 seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, and three seasons as first assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces.
“Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Nakase at the Thursday press conference.
“I am thankful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility, said Nakase. "We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”
Nakase spent the last three years (2022-2024) as first assistant coach with the Aces, where she played a critical role guiding the team to back-to-back WNBA Championships (2022, 2023).
“I just remember telling myself ... I want to work for Golden State. I want to be a part of that. Fast forward nine years later, I’m sitting here, in Golden State,” Nakase said at a news conference.
During her tenure, Las Vegas topped the WNBA’s defensive rating charts in 2023, with a rating of 97.7. She assisted with in-game adjustments, substitution rotations, end of game decisions, time out strategies, head coach’s challenge usages, clock management and organizing the team on both ends of the court.
Nakase also served as the Aces top scout for college and international athletes. With Nakase on the sideline, the Aces went 87-29 over the last three seasons, including a 19-6 mark in the playoffs.
Nakase will report to Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin, and begins her tenure with the team on October 21.
“Natalie is the perfect candidate to lead the Valkyries as our head coach,” said Nyanin. “She exemplifies every character trait in what we were looking for in a head coach and possesses deep expertise across professional basketball. Her journey is representative of the grit and perseverance that our team will embody to achieve our ultimate goal of winning championships.”
Prior to her time with the Aces, Nakase spent 10 seasons in various capacities with the Clippers, most recently as an assistant coach and player development coach in a dual role with the NBA team and their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. There, she assisted then-Head Coach Tyronn Lue with in-game planning on offense and defense, and assisted with player development and defensive scouting reports.
Nakase got her coaching start in 2008 with the Women’s Professional Basketball German League, serving as head coach for the Wolfenbuttel Wildcats for two seasons (2008-10). She then served as an assistant coach for the Tokyo Apache for one season (2010-11) in the Men’s Professional Basketball Japan League, followed by acting as head coach for the Saitama Broncos from 2011-12, making her the first woman to serve as head coach in the league.
Born in Huntington Beach, California, Nakase was a walk-on women’s basketball player at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1998-2003, where she played her way into the starting lineup and served as team captain for three seasons.
She graduated from UCLA with her bachelor of science in psychology. After graduation, she played professionally for two years in the National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL) with the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege. Nakase also competed for one season in Germany, where she suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2008.
About the Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on October 5, 2023. Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber reportedly paid a $50 million fee for the team.
“I just remember telling myself... I want to work for Golden State. I want to be a part of that. Fast forward nine years later, I’m sitting here, in Golden State. I’m living proof that when you work really really hard, and you stay focused on your goal, that big dreams do come true.”
Originating from Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.
The WNBA expansion draft for the Valkyries, the league’s first in 16 years, is scheduled on Dec. 6 when the Valkyries will get to choose unprotected players from the other WNBA teams.
Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games in San Francisco at the Chese Center, the Warriors' home court.
"We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness," Nakase said. "We will strive to improve, compete and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”
“I like the challenge of being number one," Nakase said. "That’s what sports are all about. Nobody remembers second place. Everyone remembers a champion.”
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