Nakase named head coach of Golden State Valkyries ahead of 2025 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Golden State Valkyries officially have a leader.
Natalie Nakase has been named head coach of the WNBA’s newest team, the organization announced Thursday.
Nakase, 41, played two seasons with the San Jose Spiders (2005) and San Diego Siege (2006) in the NWBL (National Women’s Basketball League), where she was the league’s first Asian-American player.
She then began an internship in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012 before eventually becoming the team’s video coordinator before serving as Los Angeles’ assistant coach for the 2014 Summer League tournament, becoming the first woman to serve as NBA assistant was on the bench. .
Nakase then served as an assistant coach for the Clippers’ G-League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, for the 2017–18 season before being promoted to assistant player development coach for the NBA Clippers the following season.
Finally, Nakase joined the WNBA in 2022 as an assistant to Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and won a title with the organization that same year.
The WNBA will hold an expansion draft on December 6, during which the Valkyries will begin building their roster by selecting one player from each of the team’s 12 existing roster of unprotected players.
Golden State will then begin its inaugural season in the spring of 2025.
