WNBA coach Natalie Nakase making history with Valkyries

[RandySF]

As the WNBA's first expansion team in 17 years, the Golden State Valkyries made their own mark in the history books in their very first game on May 16.

That's when Natalie Nakase officially became the first Asian-American to coach a game in the WNBA.

At just over 5-foot-1 Nakase is not the prototypical basketball player or coach. She began her career as a walk-on guard at UCLA, eventually earning the starting job her junior year and becoming team captain.


She played professionally in the National Women's Basketball League. But when the league shut down and Nakase failed to make a roster in the WNBA, she went overseas to continue her playing career. She pivoted to coaching after a career-ending knee injury, and spent time in Germany and Japan before she returned to the United States to become a video intern for the LA Clippers. She spent a decade in the NBA and ultimately was named an assistant coach for the Clippers.


https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45350997/wnba-2025-golden-state-valkyries-natalie-nakase-coach

[Henry203]

1. My good friend played in that league

I played over 2,000 games with the rookiie of the year in that league. Her name was Sandra Smallwood and she is in the Belmont college HOF. She wss on the New Orleans franchise.
In 1982 I was at the Sporting Club in Atlanta and my friend and I saw her shooting. I walked over to her and asked her if she wanted to play one on one.
We played together for the next 5 years every weekday in at least 3 games a day. She was a much better shooter than me. I was a better driver and being 2 inches taller could out rebound her.
A month ago she sent me a video of Spud Webb who also played at the Spprting Club once in a while. She said to me "remember when we had game".

We played against the Atlanta Falcons and pretty good competition.

We could hoop.