“Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Natalie Nakase. “We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.” With that, Nakase had made history–becoming the first Asian American head coach in the WNBA.

The 45-year-old Japanese American coach brings nearly two decades of coaching experience to the Valkyries’ bench. Natalie Nakase was instrumental in the Las Vegas Aces’ championship runs in 2022 and 2023. Before that, she spent 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers organization, where she wore multiple hats–including assistant coach and player development coach for both the NBA team and their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. Her resume speaks for itself! And now, she’s ready to lead a franchise of her own.

Nakase’s coaching journey kicked off back in 2008, when she took charge of the Wolfenbüttel Wildcats in the Women’s Professional Basketball German League. She led the team for two seasons before returning to Asia, where she served as an assistant coach for the Tokyo Apache in Japan’s men’s pro league. The following year, she broke barriers–becoming the first woman to be named head coach in the league’s history when she took over the Saitama Broncos in 2011.

With the new W season tipping off on May 16, it’s the perfect time to dig into the details of coach Nakase’s contract with the Valkyries.

What is Natalie Nakase’s net worth?

While Natalie Nakase has already made history as the first Asian American head coach in WNBA history, details about her net worth remain private. As of now, there’s no publicly available information regarding her personal finances.

What is Natalie Nakase’s contract breakdown?

As mentioned above, there’s currently no public information regarding Coach Natalie Nakase’s contract with the Valkyries. Once details are released, we’ll be sure to keep this section updated.

What is Natalie Nakase’s salary?

Unfortunately, there’s no official information available yet about Coach Nakase’s salary. Once it’s public, we’ll be sure to update this section. That said, we can make an informed estimate. According to Salary.com, as of May 2025, the average annual salary for a WNBA head coach is $67,760, which breaks down to around $33 an hour. Typically, salaries in this role range between $55,594 and $81,503.

So, it’s safe to assume that the newly appointed Golden State Valkyries head coach is likely earning somewhere between that estimate. Given Nakase’s extensive coaching resume–from the German league to the NBA and back-to-back WNBA championships with the Aces–that kind of salary range seems well-deserved.

Natalie Nakase’s Career Earnings

There’s no publicly available information about Natalie Nakase’s career earnings at this time. However, with 16 years of coaching experience across three different countries–including stints in the NBA, WNBA, and overseas–it’s safe to assume she’s built a solid financial foundation over the years. We’ll be sure to update this section if and when more details come to light.

A look at Natalie Nakase’s College and Professional Career

Before rising through the coaching ranks, Natalie Nakase made her mark as a player for the UCLA Bruins. Although she was offered a full scholarship by the University of California, Irvine, Nakase chose to take a “walk on” at UCLA. Why? Because it was her dream school! Her college career got off to a rocky start. She was forced to redshirt her freshman year in 1998-99 after tearing ligaments in her left knee during a “Say No” summer league game, which required reconstructive surgery.

Nakase’s minutes were limited in her debut season in 1999-2000, where she appeared in just 11 games. But things turned around in her sophomore year–she started all 29 games and quickly became a key contributor. That season, she ranked fifth in the Pac-10 in both assists (4.45 per game) and steals (2.21 per game), while also averaging 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. Her steady play helped lead the Bruins to a big dance berth!

When it comes to Natalie Nakase’s standout season, it’s hard to overlook her junior year. While UCLA didn’t make the NCAA Tournament that year, Nakase emerged as one of the most reliable players in the backcourt. She recorded 148 assists, putting her seventh on the program’s all-time list. Nakase also ranked third in the Pac-10 for assists per game (5.1), fourth for assist/turnover ratio (1.45), ninth in free throw percentage (78.3%), and 10th in steals per game (1.72). Her all-around play earned her an honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team as well! Not a shabby season by all means!

Nakase wrapped up her UCLA career in the 2002-03 season with averages of 4.2 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29 games. Following college, she went on to play professionally for four seasons from 2005 to 2008, with stints at the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege in the now-defunct NWBL, as well as with the German team Herner. Unfortunately, injuries cut her playing career short, but she quickly pivoted to coaching–a move that has clearly paid off.