Natalie Nakase’s title reignites questions about NBA hiring
Natalie Nakase coached the Golden State Valkyries to the WNBA championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 at Chase Center on November 1. The win came in the franchise’s second season and renewed scrutiny of the NBA’s failure to hire a woman as a head coach.
The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship on November 1, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 at Chase Center. Head coach Natalie Nakase guided the expansion team to the title in its second season, a record pace for an expansion franchise in major North American professional sports.
The Valkyries entered the season with modest expectations. In the 2024 expansion draft, teams could protect six players, and Golden State did not bring in a top free agent. The team had the league’s lowest field-goal percentage, at 42%, but reached the Finals by leaning on defense and building a strong bench.
Nakase’s achievement has sharpened questions about why she never received an NBA head-coaching opportunity. She spent a decade with the Los Angeles Clippers organization, progressing from an unpaid video-coordinator internship in 2012 to an assistant-coaching role in 2018. She was the first woman to sit on an NBA team’s bench as an assistant during Summer League, in 2014.
After joining the Las Vegas Aces in 2022, Nakase became head coach of the Valkyries. She now becomes the inaugural Asian American coach to claim a WNBA title. No woman has ever led an NBA team, despite several female assistants—including Nakase, Becky Hammon and Teresa Weatherspoon—moving to the WNBA.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue praised Nakase’s work ahead of the Finals, telling reporters she had done an excellent job and did not need his advice. Her championship adds a striking example to the debate over whether NBA teams are willing to give women the same opportunities they offer promising men.