Golden State Valkyries hire Las Vegas Aces assistant Natalie Nakase as their first head coach

The Golden State Valkyries have found their head coach and Natalie Nakase has taken over the job.

Nakase, who has spent the past three years as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, was hired Thursday by the expansion franchise that will begin play in 2025.

“To be named head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Nakase. “I am grateful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility. We are committed to building a winning culture of perseverance, hard work and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”

Nakase helped the Aces to back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. Prior to her time with the Aces, Nakase spent 11 seasons in various capacities with the Los Angeles 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.

She got her coaching start in 2008 with the Women’s Professional Basketball German League, where she spent two seasons (2008-10) as head coach for the Wolfenbuttel Wildcats. She then spent one season (2010-2011) as an assistant coach for the Tokyo Apache in the Men’s Professional Basketball Japan League, followed by head coach for the Saitama Broncos from 2011-2012, making her the first woman to serve as a head coach. head coach in the league.

“Natalie is the perfect candidate to lead the Valkyries as our head coach,” said Golden State General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin. “She exemplifies every character trait in what we looked for in a head coach and has deep expertise in professional basketball. Her journey is representative of the grit and perseverance our team will embody to achieve our ultimate goal of winning championships.”

The Los Angeles native was a walk-on at UCLA and served as team captain for three seasons. She played professionally in the NWBL for two years with the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege.

Nakase said the interview process started around the Olympic break and as soon as her season ended in Las Vegas, she moved to the Bay Area.

“Two days ago I was literally in meetings with the Las Vegas Aces. So it was a quick change, after I found out,” she said. “It’s exciting. And of course, as soon as I heard the news, I was jumping for joy and ready to go.

Nakase was a little nervous when he told the Las Vegas staff and players, but said they couldn’t have been nicer.

“It was a lot of hugs and tears, you know, and it couldn’t have been better for me,” she said. “Just because having that support, it meant a lot. You know, it’s very different from not having a lot of support.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball