What happened to Natalie Nakase? What we know after Valkyries coach falls to court - USA Today
SAN FRANCISCO ― The Golden State Valkyries won their first playoff series in franchise history after taking out the Dallas Wings in a 77-73 victory, but there was a focus on head coach Natalie Nakase after a scary moment during the game on Friday night.
During a timeout at the 1:40 mark of the fourth quarter, Nakase fell to the hardwood, appearing to collapse, while having a conversation with an official.
Assistant coaches and medical staff rushed over to see if Nakase was OK. She stayed on the ground for a moment before being helped back to her feet. She held her head as she walked back to the bench with her assistants.
Nakase, though, continued to run the timeout and talk to her team, who didn't seem to notice their head coach's incident.
Nakase coached the remaining portion of the game until the buzzer sounded sealing the Valkyries' victory. After the game, she had another moment where she seemed unwell. Nakase, who went to shake hands with Wings coach Jose Fernandez, was seen rubbing her temple and side of her head as she walked away and needed to be helped by her staff.
Golden State star Gabby Williams told reporters after the game that Nakase was "OK."
"She's fine," Williams said. "We're just happy that she's OK."
Valkyries assistant Kasib Powell spoke in place of Nakase postgame but reiterated that Nakase was "fine" and that she should be on the sideline when Golden State begins semifinal play against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
“Natalie's fine," Powell said. "Obviously, it's a quick turnaround. We play on Sunday; she wouldn't miss it for anything, you know? So, just wanted to kind of start with that, just to say, you know, that she's fine.”
"We're just trying to figure it out," Powell said. "We just know that we've seen her afterwards, and she was fine, laughing, in great spirits. So, you know, I think we'll figure out more as we go. But I think she's totally fine.
"She's talking. She's laughing in the back. So we look forward to preparing and getting ready for Sunday."
Powell added that Nakase was "locked in right after (the incident) happened."
"After the game, we talked to each other, and it was nothing. She didn't miss a beat. I don't know what got her at that moment or exactly what happened, but we do know that she'll be ready to go for Sunday," Powell said.
The Valkyries later told ESPN that Nakase was "exhausted" and "got lightheaded" during the contest but added she was "fine now."
This story has been updated with new information.
