The Golden State Valkyries have turned their inaugural campaign into a season of firsts. They became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in their debut year, sold out every home game at Chase Center, and now their coach, Natalie Nakase, has capped it all by winning Coach of the Year in her very first season. The announcement came just before their playoff clash with the Minnesota Lynx, confirming what many around the league had already seen unfolding on the court.

Nakase made a strong case for the honor, steering a roster without marquee stars to a 23–21 finish and a playoff berth. To put that into perspective, the last WNBA expansion team, the 2008 Atlanta Dream, managed just four wins all season. Under her leadership, nearly every player on the Valkyries roster turned in a career year. Veronica Burton capped her breakout by winning the league’s Most Improved Player award, while Kayla Thornton was on track for similar recognition before a season-ending injury in July.

Nakase’s path to this recognition was anything but easy. After three years as an assistant under Becky Hammon with the Las Vegas Aces, she won over Valkyries owner Joe Lacob in a demanding interview process. “Whoever gets this job, you have to win in five years. That’s the requirement,” Nakase recalled him saying. Yet in the franchise’s very first season, she exceeded every expectation, delivering results few could have imagined.

Not only did Natalie Nakase surpass expectations, but she also surpassed her mentor. Becky Hammon was also making a case for COY, although a weaker one. After a rocky start, her team went on a seventeen-game winning spree in the latter half. However, the results came with a landslide 53 votes out of 72 in favor of Nakase. Karl Smesko (Atlanta) got 15 votes, while Becky Hammon (Las Vegas) and Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota) got two each.

Congratulating Nakase on her achievement, Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said, “Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach, and this award is an external validation of what we see every day.” 

Many were surprised that Hammon received just two votes, the same as Cheryl Reeve, whose Lynx squad racked up accolades throughout the season. Meanwhile, the Aces, though impressive, hadn’t always been consistent, starting the year with a 14–14 record. It raised more than a few eyebrows. But Nakase must see it differently. The three seasons she spent under Hammon, she soaked in strategy, leadership, and the realities of professional coaching. “It was my favorite coaching experience ever,” the 2025 Coach of the Year recalls.

And honestly, Hammon, who won the award in 2022, did make a case, if not a solid one. She kept the Aces competitive despite a roster lacking the depth of other contenders. Reeve and Smesko likewise put together commendable campaigns. But neither Hammon nor Reeve was probably going to take the honor home. Teams like the Lynx and Aces, coming off Finals appearances with MVP candidates on their rosters, were already expected to excel. Also, historically, the Coach of the Year award tends to go to someone who surpasses expectations. So, it came down to Nakase vs. Smesko. For how Nakase guided a squad made largely of bench and overseas players to the playoffs, she was the obvious choice.

Even Hammon believes the GSV got the right person on the job, so she must be happy that her mentee has gone on to win. “The best thing about getting an opportunity when you’re qualified is that you can go and crush it, and that’s what I told her, ‘You’re going to be great. You’re going to go crush it.’ She has just had a really big hand in everything that we’ve done.” It was Hammon who pushed Nakase to accept the GSV role, telling her it’s time to forge her own legacy. Holding her mentor’s word to heart, Natalie Nakase has done just that. And like a true leader, the 2025 COY attributes this win to her players.

Natalie Nakase praises the role of the Valkyries players in the recent success

The Valkyries’ coach has won the Coach of the Year title. Their guard has won Most Improved Player. They are in the playoffs. What more can they ask for? Well, if you ask the 2025 COY, she’ll say there is still scope for improvement. But that is the type of coach she is. Her opponents fear her strategies. Her players call her intense. Take the word of guard Veronica Burton for it. As she says, “As soon as I met her, I realized [how intense she is]. I love it. She is so passionate about everything that she does. She’s really intentional about it, and she clearly cares so much.”

This token of appreciation goes both ways. “V took a leap of faith with me being completely uncomfortable with the leadership that I made her, uh, do in terms of the mentality that I wanted her to do. I told you I’m a mfer, but she’s more of a kind-hearted, build a relationship, and build that trust [person],” said the Valkyries’ coach. With these two differentiating personalities, the Valkyries found their rhythm on the hardwood.

The Burton–Nakase partnership gave Golden State an immediate culture. The trust runs both ways. Nakase has repeatedly highlighted Burton’s evolution beyond the stat sheet, arguing she merited her Most Improved Player award not just for her scoring jump but for orchestrating the offense too. Their connection has become the defining storyline of Golden State’s first season, turning an expansion team of role players into a playoff contender. The Golden State Valkyries will face the Minnesota Lynx at the SAP Center at San Jose next.