Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase vowed to deliver a WNBA championship after owner Joe Lacob declared he wanted a title within five years.
Last week, the Valkyries – the newest WNBA expansion team set to start play in 2025 – announced Nakase as the inaugural head coach of the franchise. Nakase joins general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and President Jess Smith in Golden State’s leadership group, with the trio set to combine for the expansion draft on Dec. 6.
The first Asian American head coach in WNBA history, Nakase’s Valkyries are not just looking to make up the numbers. After Lacob purchased the Warriors, he predicted the franchise would win an NBA championship within five years – a declaration that came true.
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Now, Lacob wants the same for the Valkyries. While the pressure is on Nakase, she is as determined as the 68-year-old thanks to her illustrious career.
“[Lacob] is just passionate. He has energy,” Nakase told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He made sure [to say], ‘After five years, we got to bring home a championship.’ I was like, ‘I got you.’”
Nakase already knows what it takes to go all the way in the WNBA. She joined the Las Vegas Aces to work under Becky Hammon in 2022, helping the franchise win back-to-back titles before falling to the New York Liberty in this year’s playoffs.
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Joe Lacob is five-time NBA champion – four of which were with the Golden State Warriors (
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During her introductory press conference last week, Nakase once again recalled Lacob’s goal. While slamming the table enthusiastically, she said: “I was like, ‘Hell yeah, we’re going to win a championship!’”
The 44-year-old is certainly on the same page as Lacob, adding: “I just like the challenge that he wants to be No. 1. That’s what sports is about. That’s the beauty of sports, is that you want to be No. 1. You want to be a champion… Nobody remembers second place. Everyone remembers the champion, so that’s what drives me.”
Lacob has committed to providing the Valkyries with their own practice facility and Chase Center locker room to ensure the players and staff have the correct infrastructure in place. Nakase outlined: “I just remember sitting there thinking, he’s setting me up for success. I can’t fail in this situation. I remember leaving our conversation… I was like, ‘I want to work for Joe. That’s who I want to work for. And not only that, but I want to bring home that first championship for him.’”
The WNBA recently announced that Nakase’s Valkyries will pick No. 5 overall in the 2025 draft. The teams who qualified for lottery picks – Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington – own the first four selections.
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