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Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase Receives Major News on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The WNBA announced on Thursday that Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has been named June’s Coach of the Month.
Nakase, 45, is in her first season of coaching the league’s newest team. She led Golden State to a 7-4 record in June by defeating the Las Vegas Aces (95-68), Los Angeles Sparks (89-81), Seattle Storm (76-70), Indiana Fever (88-77) Connecticut Sun (87-63), Chicago Sky (83-78) and Storm for a second time (84-57).
Golden State holds a 9-7 record and is ranked seventh on the official WNBA standings on ESPN.com. Nakase has a good amount of coaching experience from previously working as an assistant for the Las Vegas Aces from when they won back-to-back championships in 2022-23.
She also worked in the NBA as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2018-2020. Furthermore, Nakase’s vocal and loud coaching style could help Golden State’s players develop into future WNBA All-Stars.
Veteran forward Kayla Thornton has averaged a career high in points and rebounds at 15 points and 6.9 rebounds per game as the Valkyries’ leading scorer. Veteran guard Tiffany Hayes has averaged 13 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.6 steals in nine games. Hayes did miss time this season with a facial and nose injury.
Meanwhile, forward Cecilia Zandalasini has averaged 10 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Valkyries are preparing for their next game and first of July on Saturday against the Minnesota Lynx, as Nakase will look to lead them through another stretch of games.
Related: Ranking the 25 Best WNBA Players of All Time
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
