Golden State Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase named WNBA coach of the year after historic run
TOI World Desk | TOI Global Desk | Sep 19, 2025, 01:30 IST
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was named WNBA coach of the year after leading the expansion team to the playoffs, a league first. Honored by commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Nakase credited her players for embracing her tough coaching style. The former Clippers assistant and Aces staffer also reflected on her late father’s influence and her ongoing healing process.
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase won the WNBA Coach of the Year award after leading the team to the playoffs and making history by becoming the first expansion team to do so.
The announcement came on Wednesday ahead of the Valkyries' Game 2 against the Lynx in the best-of-three playoff series. The 45-year-old coach was honored by the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the SAP Centre.
Nakase received 53 votes out of 72 from national sports writers and broadcasters. Karl Smesko, the Atlanta Dream coach, came in as a runner-up with 15 votes, while Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon and Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve tied for third place.
Earlier this week, Nakase was also honoured as AP Coach of the Year. With her by the side, the Golden State Valkyries notched 23 regular-season wins and sold out 22 home games at Chase Centre.
Nakase previously worked with the LA Clippers as the assistant coach and made history as the first Asian American woman to coach in the NBA. Before joining the Golden State Valkyries, she led the Las Vegas Aces to two consecutive WNBA championships as an assistant coach.
Nakase often mentions her father, Gary, who passed away in 2021 and how his influence remains as a steady presence in her life and how she is learning to prioritise her mental health. Before clinching the playoff win over the Dallas Wings on September 4, she admitted that she misses her father and often wants to call him, but she added, "I'm starting to really build a thicker skin as I’m going through this healing process.” She later continued, "I wish my dad was here, especially my first job and being a head coach, and his was part of my dream with him and a goal."
Nakase credited the team and the organisation for the award and praised how her players accepted her tough coaching approach and intense style, saying they let her “cuss at them, yell at them and push them past their limits.” She said, “Again, without them, we wouldn’t have had a winning season and we wouldn’t be where I am today, now in the second game of a playoff run.”
The announcement came on Wednesday ahead of the Valkyries' Game 2 against the Lynx in the best-of-three playoff series. The 45-year-old coach was honored by the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the SAP Centre.
Nakase received 53 votes out of 72 from national sports writers and broadcasters. Karl Smesko, the Atlanta Dream coach, came in as a runner-up with 15 votes, while Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon and Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve tied for third place.
Earlier this week, Nakase was also honoured as AP Coach of the Year. With her by the side, the Golden State Valkyries notched 23 regular-season wins and sold out 22 home games at Chase Centre.
Nakase previously worked with the LA Clippers as the assistant coach and made history as the first Asian American woman to coach in the NBA. Before joining the Golden State Valkyries, she led the Las Vegas Aces to two consecutive WNBA championships as an assistant coach.
Nakase often mentions her father, Gary, who passed away in 2021 and how his influence remains as a steady presence in her life and how she is learning to prioritise her mental health. Before clinching the playoff win over the Dallas Wings on September 4, she admitted that she misses her father and often wants to call him, but she added, "I'm starting to really build a thicker skin as I’m going through this healing process.” She later continued, "I wish my dad was here, especially my first job and being a head coach, and his was part of my dream with him and a goal."
Nakase credited the team and the organisation for the award and praised how her players accepted her tough coaching approach and intense style, saying they let her “cuss at them, yell at them and push them past their limits.” She said, “Again, without them, we wouldn’t have had a winning season and we wouldn’t be where I am today, now in the second game of a playoff run.”