Valkyries Coach Addresses Roster Decision Before Mercury Game
The Golden State Valkyries returned home after a four-game road trip to face the Phoenix Mercury Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco. The burgeoning franchise is 10-10 with almost half of the season completed and sit seven and a half games back from first place as the All-Star break approaches.
The expansion team rebounded from a 2-5 start at the beginning of the year to put themselves in position to make an unprecedented playoff run in the franchise’s first season of play.
Head Coach Natalie Nakase, who won WNBA Coach of the Month in June, steered the ship for the locker room as the franchise made a number of roster moves during the season–including drafting fan favorite Kaitlyln Chen. A national champion at UCONN and Golden State’s third round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Chen was released by Golden State after two preseason games.
But Golden State re-signed Chen on June 15, and in the month since her return the 5’9’’ guard has worked her way into the rotation, averaging 15 minutes per game. Nakase had high-praise for the rookie before Monday’s contest against Phoenix.
“Kaitlyn is a joy to be around,” Nakase told reporters pre-game. “Anyone knows that coming day-to-day to work and having someone with a smile on their face every day, that uplifts everybody.”
Natalie Nakase on Kaitlyn Chen’s earning a role in the rotation:
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 15, 2025
“No. 1, Kaitlyn is a joy to be around. She has great energy and anyone knows that coming day to day to work and having someone with smile on their face uplifts everybody.”
Also complimented her sky hook move. pic.twitter.com/EVYCmtVLQy
The first-year head coach added that Chen is “always asking questions to learn” and complimented her confidence in shooting from beyond the arc.
“She’s knocking down threes like she’s been in the league for years," Nakase added.
Chen’s bright energy was on display before tip-off against Phoenix with a joyful reaction to finally seeing her face on the team’s intro video. Golden State heads to Seattle Wednesday for its final game before All-Star weekend to take on the 13-9 Storm.
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.