All season long, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has been begging her team to empty the tank. In the winner-take-all Game 3 win over Dallas on Friday, it seems she took that too literally.
“The stress at this time of year is real,” said Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces coach and Nakase’s former mentor. “The pressure, you don’t get a lot of sleep. You’re not eating as well as you probably should. There’s a lot of factors that go into that. That was kind of scary actually to watch, and just you know, that little sucker popped right back up, though. Got right back up on that marker and kept it pushing.”
Nakase said Sunday she is fine and just battling exhaustion, something she is taking seriously in her quest to prioritize self-care.
“[My father] told me about 10 years ago when I never knew what I was going to do with my career, and he just said, ‘do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated,’” she said. “So when that happened, it definitely was like a wake-up call for me.”
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But anyone who knows Nakase is not surprised to see her truly empty the tank like this. Ever since the Huntington Beach native and Marina High graduate was a walk-on to UCLA’s team in 1998, she has had an unwavering intensity.
“She has that [intensity] but with a smile on her face,” said her high school coach Pete Bonny. “From the get-go, this is who she is.”
In her second season as a WNBA coach, those around her have seen her willingness to adapt to the situation.
“She has always found ways to keep us winning,” Valkyries assistant coach Landon Tatum said. “Her ability to change in real time and make adjustments I think is the biggest difference for her this year.”
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase talks with Kaitlyn Chen during Game 1 of a WNBA semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces in San Francisco on Sunday.
(Tony Avelar / Ap Photo/tony Avelar)
Nakase walked on at UCLA after turning down a scholarship offer from UC Irvine. With the Bruins, she became a starter and captain, earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors in 2002 and finishing her career ranked 10th in program history with 358 assists.
The Bruins made two NCAA tournament appearances during Nakase’s four seasons.
In her first year as a WNBA head coach, Nakase led the Valkyries to the postseason, the first time an expansion team ever accomplished that feat. It earned her the league’s coach of the year award.
“If you put all 44 games together, all 44 of the regular season, I don’t know if there’s a team that played harder than her team every [game] for the 44 games, and that’s that’s a tribute to her,” Hammon said. “That’s the highest compliment I can give someone.”
This year, Golden State went even deeper with a first-round series win over Dallas after finishing the regular season with the league’s second-best record. After top seed Minnesota was upset in the first round, the Valkyries now have home court throughout the postseason.
“She always sticks to her plan,” said Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton about how she has seen Nakase grow this season. “Every single game she approaches with the utmost respect. I think it says a lot about her as a coach, and then what she expects of us. I think every single game I know what to expect going in, and I know what she wants of me, and I know what she expects of me. She makes us feel prepared.”
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase raises the WNBA Coach of the Year award before a playoff game against the Minnesota Lynx on Sept. 17, 2025, in San José.
(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
Nakase was back on the sidelines on Sunday to face Hammon, wearing a heart monitor and trying to practice what she preaches about recovery. She ultimately led Golden State to a 71-60 win in Game 1 of the series.
Nakase does not plan on tempering her trademark fervor, even if this was an important learning experience. After all, she built an unlikely UCLA career and surging WNBA coaching career by sticking with who she is.
“She’s never been afraid that she knows she is going to mess up sometimes,” Tatum said. “Her ability to create a culture that fast, like that’s not easy. I think that’s when you kind of knew off top in training camp, like, oh yeah, I think she’s ready for this. She’s got this.”
Bruins’ Canada also thriving in WNBA playoffs
Dream guard Jordin Canada dribbles between New York Liberty center Han Xu, left, and guard Marine Johannes, right, during Game 1 of a WNBA semifinal series Sunday in Atlanta.
(Colin Hubbard / Associated Press)
The Associated Press’ Alan Cole highlighted a banner Sunday for UCLA alum Jordin Canada:
Jordin Canada scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half and had five steals to help the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 92-82 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-five WNBA semifinals series.
DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and helped fill the void when Allisha Gray went down with a left hand injury in the second quarter. Atlanta once again played stellar defense, scoring 32 points off 21 forced turnovers, including 16 in a dominant third quarter. The 32 points off turnovers tied an all-time WNBA playoff record.
“Everybody stepped up, and that’s what we need,” Canada said. “Next-man up mentality. I just tried to do what I do best. I tried to be aggressive, find my shots and take my shots with confidence.”
Gray’s injury was the key moment of a very even first half. Neither team led by more than six points in a half that had 14 lead changes. New York went into the locker room with a slim 40-37 advantage. But Atlanta outscored New York 32-15 in the third quarter, seizing control with relentless defensive pressure.
“We knew we didn’t play our best in the first half,” Canada said. “We gave up a lot of defensive assignments, we weren’t playing up to our schemes and we just weren’t being aggressive enough on the offensive end.”
Angel Reese and Canada had three steals apiece in the third, keying a 13-3 run to start the half which gave Atlanta a lead it never surrendered. Seven New York players recorded at least one third-quarter turnover, and the team shot just four of 14 from the floor in a stretch that created a margin too big to overcome.
Oregon’s Lanning compares UCLA to national champs
Oregon coach Dan Lanning dodged questions this past week about the health of quarterback Dante Moore following a brutal hit during a win over USC by trying to focus on UCLA.
USC linebacker Desman Stephens II charged forward to tackle Moore on a run play on Sept. 26. Moore slid late and Stephens didn’t change course, lowering his shoulder and running into Moore’s head. Oregon players and fans were more offended after Stephens celebrated the play that nearly triggered a fight among the two teams and he was captured by NBC cameras smiling on the sideline while Moore was treated on the field before being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Stephens was ejected for targeting, but new NCAA rules allowed him to remain on the sideline and try to fire up his team during the second half.
A day after USC coach Lincoln Riley said he did not see Stephens’ sideline behavior and defended keeping him on the sideline in the second half, the school issued statements from Riley and Stephens apologizing for the hit and Stephens’ behavior while Moore received treatment. Stephens was suspended for one game.
Lanning called the play “disgusting” during his postgame news conference.
Oregon announced that Moore was diagnosed with a concussion, but tests showed no further injuries. Lanning said the team would be cautious as Moore recovers from the head injury.
Oregon, like UCLA, had a bye this past week and Lanning didn’t see reporters again until Wednesday. When asked for updates on Moore and for his thoughts on USC’s apologies and discipline, Lanning punted and instead compared UCLA to last year’s national champion.
“We’re about to play a UCLA team that reminds me a lot of Indiana from last year,” Lanning told reporters. “…Let’s just be honest. We’re not remotely close to what we need to be. We’re not remotely close.”
Lanning also said UCLA coach Bob Chesney texted him after the Ducks’ win over USC, offering to visit Moore if he had to remain in the hospital in Los Angeles. Moore instead was released and allowed to fly back to Oregon with his teammates.
Men’s water polo splits top-four matchups
The No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo split its marquee matchups to open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play during the weekend.
The Bruins fell 19-15 to No. 2 Stanford on Saturday, but they rebounded for a 13-11 win over No. 4 California Sunday. Junior Ryder Dodd had five goals and three assists during the victory over the Golden Bears.
The Cardinal set a tougher pace on Saturday, leading by one goal at the end of the first, second and third quarters before extending their lead during a pivotal 7-4 fourth quarter. Dodd again paced the Bruins with four goals and five assists.
UCLA hosts Golden West College and California Baptist this weekend before the pressure rises again with a match at No. 3 USC on Oct. 17.
Bruins on deck
Here are all UCLA games scheduled to be played this week across all sports, with all times Pacific:
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Men’s soccer vs. Westmont, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Women’s soccer vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9
Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day
Cross country at Wisconsin’s Nuttycombe Invite, Time TBA
Women’s volleyball at Maryland, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day
Football at Oregon, 12:30 p.m.
Men’s water polo vs. Golden West College, 1 p.m.
Women’s volleyball at Rutgers, 4 p.m.
Men’s water polo vs. California Baptist, 6 p.m.
Men’s soccer vs. Ohio State, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11
Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day
Women’s soccer vs. Illinois, 1 p.m.
In case you missed it
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UCLA Unlocked: Bob Chesney’s Bruins enter bye week with momentum
Have something Bruin?
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.