Natalie Nakase Addresses Valkyries’ Roster Move Before Wings Game
The Golden State Valkyries are preparing for their first game post-All-Star break when they take on the Dallas Wings Friday evening at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Valkyries, currently sitting in ninth place with a 10-12 record, are making some adjustments to defeat a struggling 7-17 Wings squad that has been plagued with numerous injuries.
The Valkyries have lost three straight games despite a hot start for a WNBA expansion franchise. The Wings, led by rookie All-Star Paige Bueckers and two-time All-Star Game MVP Arike Ogunbowale, handily defeated the Seattle Storm 87-63 to start the second half of the season with a commanding win. The Valkyries’ last game before the break was a 67-58 loss to the same Storm team, Golden State’s lowest scoring effort of the season.
The Valkyries are adjusting to a major blow, as the franchise’s first-ever All-Star Kayla Thornton underwent season-ending knee surgery on Friday. The 6’1’’ forward was a stalwart defender and the team’s leading scorer. However, the Valkyries are adding an international big to the roster for Friday’s contest, and she’s receiving high praise from head coach Natalie Nakase.
Last week, the Valkyries activated 6’4’’ French center Iliana Rupert who joined the Bay Area squad after international commitments.
At practice Thursday, Nakase had high praise for the versatile center. Per ClutchPoints’ Kenzo Fukuda, Nakse told reporters that Rupert “fits into the element of who we are, as a person. She's very selfless.”
Natalie Nakase on what Iliana Rupert brings to the Valkyries:
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 24, 2025
“She fits into the element of who we are, as a person. She's very selfless. ⁰She picks things up really easy. Like you said, she has a high IQ.“
(Continued.)
Nakase added that Rupert “picks things up really easy, she he has a high IQ. And she always puts the team first.”
Rupert was selected by the Valkyries in December’s expansion draft. She was drafted 12th overall by the Las Vegas Aces in 2022, winning the WNBA championship as a rookie, however she has only played international and European club basketball since 2024. Rupert was a key piece in France’s silver medal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Anwar Stetson is a Multimedia Sports Journalist from Los Angeles, California. He previously worked as a TV News Reporter for KRCR News Channel 7 in Chico, California--covering politics, local news, wildfires, crime, and high school football. As an Assistant Editor for Spectrum Sportsnet: Los Angeles, Anwar worked on award-winning programs Backstage:Lakers and Backstage:Dodgers, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the two franchises' most prominent athletes. Anwar is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Specialized Journalism (Sports Emphasis) in 2019. He graduated from the University of California, Merced with a B.A. in English in 2016. In addition to Sports Illustrated, Anwar covers high school sports for Prep Network, and the WNBA for The Sporting Tribune.