Valkyries All-Star Makes Opinion of Head Coach Natalie Nakase Clear
With half of their inaugural WNBA season complete, the Golden State Valkyries have had an unprecedented amount of success on the court and in the stands. The expansion franchise leads the league in average home attendance, per Across the Timeline. The team has sold out every game at Chase Center, dubbed “Ballhalla” by fans.
The team was built over the past eight months from key signings and an expansion draft that poached veterans from other WNBA teams. Quickly building chemistry, the Valkyries got off to a 6-6 start, the best for an expansion team since the 1999 Detroit Shock. A first-year team helmed by a first-year head coach, Natalie Nakase was hired to lead the franchise last October after nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA and WNBA. She has been instrumental in steering the ship in Ballhalla.
Valkyries leading scorer and first-time All-Star Kayla Thornton reiterated Nakase’s impact on the locker room as the team heads into the second half of the season. Speaking with ESPN, Thornton said that the team has “surpassed” expectations for its first season, adding that Nakase “gives us the most confidence.”
“She's competitive, she's a dog,” Thornton added. “That's what we feed off of. Playing for her makes us want to play the game."
Year 1 for the Valkyries was supposed to be about laying a foundation. But midway through the season they have 10 wins, draw record-breaking crowds and are in the playoff race.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) July 23, 2025
ESPN feature on the surprising success of the expansion franchise: https://t.co/qoVC8nWojz
The Valkyries, currently one win behind the Washington Mystics for the final playoff spot in the league, are 10-12 before Friday’s matchup at home against the Dallas Wings. Continuing to make moves, Golden State recently added French center Iliana Rupert to the roster after international commitments, bolstering both the team’s perimeter shooting and interior presence before the matchup against Dallas.
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.