The WNBA expansion Golden State Valkyries have hired Natalie Nakase as the first head coach in franchise history, the team announced.
This will be the first WNBA head coaching job for the 44-year-old Nakase, who has been an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces since 2022 and helped the team to back-to-back championships.
General manager Ohemaa Nyanin cast a wide net in her search for coaching. Collegiate and international names were considered before landing on Nakase.
Before joining the Aces, Nakase held various positions with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, including assistant coach and player development coach at their G League affiliate. She began coaching in Germany in 2008 with the Wolfenbuttel Wildcats before becoming an assistant with the Tokyo Apache in the Men’s Professional Basketball Japan League.
Nakase played college ball at UCLA after earning a spot on the team as a walk-on and serving as team captain for three seasons.
There was no timeline for Nyanin to find the first coach in franchise history. It was a significant appointment, as she told Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle in July that the person chosen would dictate “the kind of game we play.”
That is now Nakase’s responsibility.
After WNBA free agency, the Valkyries head into December’s expansion draft with a head coach and an idea of what type of players they will be looking for. Each WNBA team can protect six players from their roster; the rest are eligible to be selected by the Valkyries.
Following the expansion draft, the Valkyries can add their selection to the WNBA Draft in April before the 2025 season kicks off.
