Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase Wins 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year Award
WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase Wins 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year Award

Published on September 17, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK - Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has been named the 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She has earned the honor in her first season as a WNBA head coach.

Nakase received 53 of 72 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko finished in second place with 15 votes. Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve tied for third place with two votes each.

With Nakase leading the way, Golden State set the WNBA record for victories by an expansion team in its first season with 23. The Valkyries (23-21) also became the first team to qualify for the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google in its inaugural season.

After a 2-5 start to the season, Golden State won seven of its next nine games. That 7-2 stretch led to Nakase being honored as the WNBA Coach of the Month for June. As the Valkyries competed for a playoff spot in the final weeks of the season, Nakase guided them to winning streaks of four games from Aug. 9-15 and five games from Aug. 24 - Sept. 4.

Under Nakase, the Valkyries held opponents to league lows of 76.3 points per game and 40.5% shooting from the field. On offense, Golden State made a WNBA-high 9.7 three-pointers per game. Among Valkyries players, guard Veronica Burton won the 2025 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player Award and forward Kayla Thornton was selected to the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game for the first time.

Nakase was hired as the Valkyries' head coach in October 2024 after serving three seasons as an Aces assistant coach. She helped Las Vegas win back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. Before her stint with the Aces, Nakase spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, finishing her tenure as an assistant coach.

Below are the voting results for the 2025 State Street Investment Management SPY WNBA Coach of the Year Award and a list of past recipients.

VOTING RESULTS: 2025 STATE STREET INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SPY WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR

Coach (Team) Votes

Natalie Nakase (Golden State) 53

Karl Smesko (Atlanta) 15

Becky Hammon (Las Vegas) 2

Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota) 2

STATE STREET INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SPY

WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

1997 - Van Chancellor, Houston

1998 - Van Chancellor, Houston

1999 - Van Chancellor, Houston

2000 - Michael Cooper, Los Angeles

2001 - Dan Hughes, Cleveland

2002 - Marianne Stanley, Washington

2003 - Bill Laimbeer, Detroit

2004 - Suzie McConnell-Serio, Minnesota

2005 - John Whisenant, Sacramento

2006 - Mike Thibault, Connecticut

2007 - Dan Hughes, San Antonio

2008 - Mike Thibault, Connecticut

2009 - Marynell Meadors, Atlanta

2010 - Brian Agler, Seattle

2011 - Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota

2012 - Carol Ross, Los Angeles

2013 - Mike Thibault, Washington

2014 - Sandy Brondello, Phoenix

2015 - Bill Laimbeer, New York

2016 - Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota

2017 - Curt Miller, Connecticut

2018 - Nicki Collen, Atlanta

2019 - James Wade, Chicago

2020 - Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota

2021 - Curt Miller, Connecticut

2022 - Becky Hammon, Las Vegas

2023 - Stephanie White, Connecticut

2024 - Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota

2025 - Natalie Nakase, Golden State

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 17, 2025


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