Nakase And Valkyries Make Historic 2025 WNBA Debut
Natalie Nakase stepped into the spotlight Friday night, making WNBA history as the league’s first Asian American head coach. Leading the Golden State Valkyries in their long-awaited debut at Chase Center, Nakase commanded the sidelines before a roaring, sold-out crowd of more than 18,000 fans. Though the Valkyries fell 82 to 67 to Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks, Nakase’s presence marked a powerful milestone for the WNBA, the Bay Area, and the AAPI community. Meet The Valkyries’ Head Coach Nakase, a proud third generation Japanese American, returns to her home state of California to lead the Golden State Valkyries in their inaugural season. Born and raised in Southern California, she earned a walk-on spot at UCLA before playing professionally overseas. Coaching wasn’t something she initially envisioned, but those around her insisted she’d be great at it — and they were right. Nakase transitioned to the sidelines and steadily rose through the NBA coaching ranks, including time on staff with the Los Angeles Clippers. “I’ve always been the only girl walking into the NBA gym and all guys — it’s the same,” Nakase said. “No big deal.” In 2022, she joined the Las Vegas Aces as an assistant under head coach Becky Hammon. That same year, she became the first Asian American coach to win a WNBA title and helped guide the Aces to back-to-back championships. AAPI History In The WNBA Nakase’s name has been in the history books, becoming the first Asian […]
