Golden State Valkyries Head Coach Reveals Team Motto Ahead of First Season

Head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, Natalie Nakase, is already implementing a team motto for the expansion franchise.

“How I create my team culture is choosing 12 players that have a very competitive mindset, who work extremely hard,” Nakase said in a video shared to the Valkyries’ Instagram. “The baseline is just being a great human being, you don’t always just think about yourself but you think about your teammates constantly. That’s pretty much going to be my motto is team over self with anything on or off the court.”

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The Valkyries officially announced their first head coach earlier this week. Nakase spent the last three years as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. During her time in Vegas, the Ace won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.

The expansion team knew Nakase was the perfect candidate to lead the Valkyries in their first season in the league.

“Core qualities that I see Natalie bringing to the Valkyries are the foundations of what our culture will be,” said Ohemaa Nyanin, general manager of the Valkyries.”She brings a quality of empathy, the foundations of being able to meet people where they’re at. She brings so much joy to all those that surround her. She’s the best.”

Prior to her three years in Las Vegas, Nakase spent 11 seasons in various roles with the Los Angeles Clippers. Her last role before her departure from the NBA team was as an assistant coach and player development coach.

Nakase’s coaching career began in 2008 with the Women’s Professional Basketball German League. She first served as a head coach for the Wolfenbuttel Wildcats for two seasons. From 2010-11, she served as an assistant coach for the Tokyo Apache in the Men’s Professional Basketball Japan League.

Nakase became a head coach in 2011 for the Saitama Broncos. The milestone made her the first woman to serve as head coach in the league.

“She exemplifies every character trait in what we were looking for in a head coach and possesses deep expertise across professional basketball,” Nyanin said. “Her journey is representative of the grit and perseverance that our team will embody to achieve our ultimate goal of winning championships.”

Nakase’s interview process with the Valkyries began around the Olympic break. As soon as the season ended with the Aces, she headed to the Bay Area for a permanent stay.

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