Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has been named the 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. Nakase helped the Valkyries (23-21, No. 8 seed) become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.

The Valkyries are down 1-0 in their first-round series against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx but will return home for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Nakase received 53 of a possible 72 votes. Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko finished in second place with 15 votes, while the Las Vegas Aces' Becky Hammon and the Lynx's Cheryl Reeve each received two votes.

"Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach, and this award is an external validation of what we see every day," Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin sa

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