The Golden State Valkyries entered the 2025 playoffs as the eighth-ranked team in the league standings. The team faced the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx, and fought bravely against the former champions. Just last week, the Valkyries’ head coach, Natalie Nakase, took blame for the loss against the Seattle Storm.
But for the loss in the opening game of the playoffs, the first-time head coach blamed the officials, claiming that their decision affected the Valkyries’ momentum in the game. The league fined her for the statements, but the former Aces assistant has strong words for the same.
Natalie Nakase Stands By Her Statements
The Valkyries’ first season extended to the playoffs after a strong regular season finish. Their eighth-seed finish earned them a matchup against the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. Before the first playoff game, Napheesa Collier exposed the Valkyries’ weakness in a regular-season game.
The pattern continued in the playoffs as the MVP candidate once again dominated the game and helped her side clinch a 101-72 victory at Target Center. Though the 29-point margin is massive, head coach Nakase thought her team had a chance midway into the game, but ‘poor officiating’ cost them the game.
Her strong words in the post-conference attracted fines from the WNBA. But the 45-year-old is ready to accept the fine.
“I said what I said. I’m always going to fight for my team when I feel that. The calls were the calls, and I got fined. So, you know, throwing in that donation, or whatever it is. So I paid for it, and I’m going to donate that. I heard it was a tax write-off,” Nakase told the media.
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ESPN story: Natalie Nakase says she was fined after making critical comments about the officiating in Game 1.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) September 17, 2025
“I said what I said. I am always going to fight for my team.”https://t.co/MZkIdSwRJd
Following the defeat in the second game, the Valkyries are now out of the playoffs and will look to get better for the next season.
Natalie Nakase Wins Coach Of The Year Accolade
Ahead of the game, the Golden State Valkyries head coach, Natalie Nakase, won the 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year. Nakase received 53 of 72 votes while the Dream coach Karl Smesko got 15 votes. Top team coaches, Becky Hammon and Cheryl Reeve, got two votes.
“I never aimed for this type of award, and my dad taught me that early on, that it’s all about winning. And that’s why I took this job, because Joe [Lacob] was like, ‘If you take this job, we’ve got to win a championship in five years.’ That’s the goal, so I just wanted to start with that. But what this does is it reflects on [our] whole organization. It starts at the top,” Nakase said.
The franchise will be looking to keep the HC for the next season and push for the championship in the upcoming seasons.