Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is ready for her next chapter

Natalie Nakase's plan for the Golden State Valkyries is simple -- put out good basketball and continue the championship expectation of Bay Area basketball.

"Golden State has a standard of winning, and we don't want to ignore that. We actually want to embrace it," Nakase said in an interview with FanSided. "They have the blueprint, they have the fanbase, and they have the luxury with a great practice facility and locker room. I'm embracing it. I love winning and feel like this is the right place to start."

Nakase is from California and played collegiately for UCLA. She is connected to California basketball through her decade-long career with the Clippers, including positions as a video coordinator and assistant coach. After that, she moved to the WNBA to join Becky Hammon and the Las Vegas Aces. Over her three years as an assistant, Nakase and the Aces won two WNBA Championships back-to-back. Nakase is the first Asian American head coach in the W.

Natalie Nakase's approach to the expansion draft

The WNBA is hosting its expansion draft for Golden State on Dec. 6. One player from each of the 12 teams will be taken from its existing roster and join the Valkyries. Only six players get to be protected, giving Nakase and her team dozens of players to pick through to round out the roster.

Being named the head coach of an expansion team seems like a difficult task, as there is no existing roster or staff to meet. Nakase, however, is going to make picking out her roster intentional.

"I have my offensive and my defensive philosophy," she said. "It's not just going to be 12 random players. They are going to have the characteristics I like. I want those players to fit what I have as well."

During her time with the Aces, Nakase helped their defense become one of the top-rated in the WNBA. They stood at the top of the defensive rating standings in 2023.

"I know what it takes to win a championship," Nakase said. "It's going to be a lot of hard work, but the preparation has already been built."

Learning from the past to prepare for the future

Spending the last few years with the Aces, Nakase got to work with one of the best coaches in the W with Becky Hammon, and some of the best players in the league, including A'ja Wilson. Leaving an environment like that isn't easy, but Nakase has been ready to be a head coach since her time with the Clippers.

"Leaving the Las Vegas Aces, they are family," Nakase said. "Anytime you win a championship, that just means you had a lot of hard work, sweat, tears, all of it. Saying goodbye was probably one of the hardest things i've had to do, but to see all the love and support, they had wished me good luck. We will always be family and friends."

Nakase gave tons of credit to Hammon, citing her for changing the game of basketball. Hammon's decision to play small ball, faster and more scoring was crucial to the Aces back-to-back championship runs.

Wilson, who was most recently named the unanimous MVP of the W has seen tremendous success on the court. Nakase said that her humbleness and leadership off the court were what helped the Aces reach the top.

"She leads by example. She leads by being a really good person and someone that the players can lean on," Nakase said. "I think that gives teams that are going for championships with a lot of talented players, to say 'no, we've got to stay humble.' That's what a lot of people don't see on a day to day, and I think that was a key to us winning."

The future of Bay Area basketball

As the W continues to grow and women's sports popularity rises, the Valkyries will be the first payoff of that momentum. Being able to grow from California, Nakase says is one of the best parts of it all.

"I just love the diversity here in California," Nakase said. "When you work in sports you get to bring all these people together from different walks of life. As much as I love basketball, I also learned I created all my best relationships through basketball. Bringing people together, especially winning a championship, and to do that in California, that's going to be more special."

While fans of the W won't see the Golden State Valkyries for another few months, Nakase and her future team are a testament to the over twenty-year investment the WNBA has made in its teams, players, and coaches. More teams are on the way, the playoffs are changing formats, and more people than ever before are watching the league.

"Hopefully I can put out a really good product," Nakase said. "The more product that's better, I think the more viewership we will have."