"Let's get some music going," Natalie Nakase yelled as the Golden State Valkyries started a scrimmage at a September practice. They were gearing up for the playoffs, and the coach wanted her players to get acclimated to loud and hostile environments. Instead of her usual playlist of Adele, Rihanna or Taylor Swift, something far more jarring blasted from the speakers: the noise of machine guns and bombs.
"I'm like, 'This is not happening. She's literally playing war music.' That was new," center Kiah Stokes told ESPN. Nakase got the idea after watching Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla do the same at NBA training camp. Her goal was to force her players to speak louder and communicate better, and to instill a particular mindset. "We're here to win or die," Nakase said.
That mentality has helped put the Valkyries on the cusp of history in their second season. Just 18 months ago, Golden State was the WNBA's newest expansion franchise, made up of players left unprotected by their previous teams. Now the Valkyries hold a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals heading into Game 2 at Chase Center. This season they had the top-ranked defense, the league's best bench production and a commanding home-court advantage, all driving a gritty 68-64 win over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday.
Nakase, who is known for her hypercompetitive, detail-oriented and defense-first approach, is described by her assistants as "fiery" and by Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon as "mighty mouse." Players call her a "basketball sicko." She spends hours breaking down film and texts her staff constantly. "I'm good at seeing a ton of things at once," she said.
Nakase rose through NBA coaching staffs, starting as a video coordinator with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012. She later joined Hammon's staff with the Aces, part of back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. When she took the Valkyries job in 2024 under owner Joe Lacob, she gained the chance to lead her own team and shape its vision.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing