Natalie Nakase Wins 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year Award After Valkyries' 1st Season

Guiding the Golden State Valkyries to the WNBA playoffs in their inaugural season earned Natalie Nakase the 2025 Coach of the Year.

Nakase received 53 first-place votes, with the Atlanta Dream's Karl Smesko (15 votes) finishing runner-up.

Pretty much every preseason projection had Golden State near the bottom of the WNBA.

The Valkyries were awarded the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, the first selection outside of the lottery. They proceeded to take Lithuanian forward Justė Jocytė, who won't make her full debut until next year.

Kayla Thornton, a solid two-way forward who helped the New York Liberty win a title in 2024, was the biggest headliner from the expansion draft.

In free agency, ESPN's Kendra Andrews reported Golden State struck out with Kelsey Plum, Brionna Jones and Courtney Vandersloot.

Almost nobody looked at the Valkyries' roster in May and saw a serious postseason contender.

Nakase proceeded to guide the team to a 23-21 record in the regular season, two games better than the Los Angeles Sparks for the final playoff berth.

Beyond the regular challenges posed to an expansion team in its inaugural season, Thornton suffered a knee injury in July that knocked her out for the rest of the year. Golden State had to navigate the second half without its leader in points (14.0) and rebounds (7.0).

The Valkyries finished third in defensive rating (99.8), per WNBA.com.

"Versatility is key," Nakase said last December. "That's one word defensively that I kept saying. We're going to hang our hat on the defensive end. So to be able to guard multiple positions is going to be really key. At the same time, too, we want to be a great rebounding team."

That's exactly the identity Golden State established as it was also fourth in rebounding rate (51.1 percent).

In general, the Valkyries served as a great example of what the wave of expansion franchises can mean for players. More teams means more opportunities and roster spots.

Thornton was afforded a bigger role than she had ever had and made the most of it. Having been a role player with the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun, Veronica Burton averaged 11.9 points after becoming a starter in Golden State. International players Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün debuted in the W and made an immediate impact.

Looking ahead to 2026, Leite and Martin are the only Valkyries players with guaranteed contracts, so Nakase and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin will have the ability to remake the squad in a big way.

And now that everyone has seen Nakase's work from the sideline, Golden State figures to be a much more attractive destination than it was last winter.