Natalie Nakase was named the first head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's latest expansion franchise that is owned by the Warriors.
That day came into fruition nine years later as on Thursday Nakase was named the first head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's latest expansion franchise that is owned by the Warriors.
As Lacob's Warriors racked up more championships in 2017 and 2018, Nakase wondered what the secret ingredient was to their success, she recalled Thursday. One time she asked Willie Green, a former Clippers player of hers who later served as a Warriors assistant, and he presented her with a simple answer:"Joe only hires great people."
Nakase also has previous coaching experience, including as a head coach, in the Women's Professional Basketball German League and Men's Professional Basketball Japan League. Collegiately she played at UCLA as a walk-on and three-year captain. "You really have to work because if you're trying to now beat established teams, like New York, like Minnesota, we have to work just be able to get to that level in a couple years," Nakase said.
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