Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase Reflects on Her Basketball Journey
Natalie Nakase spent countless hours on basketball courts in Orange County long before she became the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries. In the 1980s, evenings were often filled with the sounds of sneakers squeaking and basketballs bouncing as she and her sisters kept score during their father's pickup games.
Gary Nakase, a co-founder of a local basketball league, ensured his daughters learned the game from an analytical perspective. "My mom said, 'If you go play basketball two times a week, you're taking the three little girls,'" Nakase recalled in a recent interview.
For the Nakase family, basketball was not just a pastime; it was a way of life. Vacations and sleepovers took a backseat to practices and games. "I thought that was my normal childhood," she reflected. "Now I look back, and he was training me for this moment."
As the first Asian American coach in WNBA history, Nakase's journey began as a talented player. Her older sisters, Nicola and Norie, played at Marina High School in Huntington Beach. By the time Natalie entered as a freshman, Nicola had graduated, and Norie was a senior. However, head coach Pete Bonny had a rule against freshmen making varsity.
"He thought there was no way I was going to make varsity," Nakase said. "He said, 'I don't put freshmen on varsity.'" Yet, Bonny's skepticism quickly faded when he witnessed Nakase's skills during a June practice.
Bonny, who had coached at Marina High for a decade and won six league titles, was initially unconvinced despite hearing rave reviews about Nakase. "Everyone said, 'You're getting this really great point guard.' And I thought, 'I'll believe it when I see it,'" he admitted.
It took only 45 seconds for Bonny to change his mind. After watching her dominate during practice, he declared, "Number 11, you're going to be on this side for the next four years." Making the varsity team was just the beginning; Bonny pushed her limits, ensuring practices were tougher than games.
"My high school coaches were tough," Nakase stated. "We played up-tempo basketball. If we didn't play hard and with pace, we would get yelled at. We had a lot of victories because of the practices we had."
In 1998, all that hard work culminated in Marina High School winning its first CIF Section Title. Nakase earned accolades as the County Player of the Year from both the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register. "It was all about winning championships," she emphasized. "I'd rather win and not be an All-Star or MVP; that meant more."
Bonny fondly recalled Nakase's role on that championship team: "That was really the epitome of a team. She was the choreographer. Defensively, she told people what to do, and offensively, she put people in their place."
Standing at just 5-foot-1, Nakase left Marina as the all-time leader in assists, steals, and three-point shots made. She walked on at UCLA, started for three years, and eventually played professionally.
Her transition to coaching came naturally. "Him giving up his time has impacted me," she said of Bonny. "I love giving my time on the court to the players. I would say I'm a mirror image of him."
Lessons learned from Bonny paved her way to opportunities with the Los Angeles Clippers and later as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. Before joining the Valkyries, Nakase reunited with Bonny in 2024 when Marina High retired her jersey number—the first girl’s basketball player to receive such an honor.
"There've been a lot of great players throughout the years," Bonny remarked. "But when you think of Marina High School girls' basketball, that's kind of one of the first names that jumps out."
Now representing her roots on a national stage, Nakase inspires many in Southern California. "I would have never thought that going after my passion and doing it as a job would ever inspire people," she said. "It means the world that I can impact someone by just following my passion."
