The WNBA world stood still for a moment last Friday when, during Game Three of the first round of the playoffs, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase appeared to faint abruptly in the middle of a confrontation with a referee. While the resilient 2025 Coach of the Year popped right back up and finished out the game with a series-clinching challenge and out-of-bounds play, she sent Assistant Coach Kasib Powell in her place for post-game availability.
"Natalie's fine," Powell said. "Obviously, there's a quick turn around. We play again on Sunday and she wouldn't miss it for anything."
Luckily, Powell was right – at the relief of media and fans, Nakase walked out on Sunday morning ready to address all the questions she'd (understandably) been inundated with since the episode. She's been a longtime advocate for recovery and striking a balance between work and wellbeing in her players, but now it was time for the coach to practice what she preaches.
"I'm good...I had a little exhaustion. And I think I talked to you guys about what I have to learn from my father," Nakase started. "He was an extremely hardworking man. I followed in his footsteps and I thrive in that, but he told me, 'Natalie...do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated.'"
She continued: "So, when that happened, it definitely was, like, a wake-up call for me. I got checked through the doctors...everything looks good. But you know what I'm going to do that my dad didn't do? You know, many he rest in peace, I'm gonna be proactive."
"This job for me...I love it. Sometimes I love it too much, to a point where I overwork and so, I just want to make sure I'm being smart."
Minutes later, Becky Hammon – decorated coach of the Las Vegas Aces and a former collegue of Nakase's – took the floor and was asked about the incident. "The stress in this time of year is real...You don't get a lot of sleep, you're not eating as well as your probably should...It was kind of scary, actually, to watch."
"That little sucker popped right back up, though," said Hammon through laughs – it's clear that Hammon, in her time with Nakase on her coaching staff, knows just how much the latter cares about basketball, even if it goes overboard at times.
We talk so much about how hard basketball, especially playoff basketball, wears on WNBA players, but this situation was a sobering reminder of all the work that goes into the behind-the-scenes of building a winning team. Hammon said it herself – coaches often sacrifice sleep, eating, who knows what else – to get to the promised land, but Nakase delivered the right message in the wake of what happened: winning a championship isn't worth it if you're not healthy enough to celebrate it.
Nakase ended her availability with a direct adress to the media room, sharing a powerful message that everyone should strive to apply in their daily lives: "For all you guys, too, I know you guys work extremely hard. Just make sure you guys take care of yourself, check in, and understand that your loved ones are the ones that are very concerned."
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