Natalie Nakase has broken barriers every step in her journey:
- First Asian American player in the National Women's Basketball League.
- Coached in the men's league overseas.
- And, in the National Basketball Association, Nakase turned an internship with the Los Angeles Clippers into an assistant coach position, learning from championship coaches like Doc Rivers and Ty Lue.
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HERE"It does matter," Nakase said when asked if being the first Asian American coach in the WNBA mattered. "I would say myself a year ago wouldn't have thought all these first were important. But, now I see it as a big responsibility to open doors for everyone else. Like the first is not about me. It's about how many other doors or other positions I can open up for Asian Americans or for people who look like me."
The NBA job sent her into the Women's National Basketball Association, where she won two championships as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces.
The Bay Area's new professional basketball team, the Golden State Valkyries liked what they saw and in October named her as the franchise's first head coach.
"They chose me. They could have chose a million other more qualified people," Nakase said. "I think I'm here for a reason."
The expectations are high for the WNBA expansion team. And, the team wants to deliver, for the fans.
"We have to repay them and play very competitive, gritty, intense," Nakase said. "So for me, we're going to put on a show and I want them to be leaving wanting more."
The one person that will not be in the stands for Nakase's debut as head coach will be her father, who help lay the foundation for setting high expectation and working hard early on.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP "I had to get all A's," Nakase said of her dad's expectations balancing basketball with academics. "My dad would be like, 'What's wrong with you?' when I brought home a B. And so high expectations, though. I love it. I love that my dad challenged me."
"He was a man of many, few words as a Japanese American. I would hope he would say he's proud of me because I didn't hear that a lot. But he would always give me this is what his signal was. But he would give me like always a head nod of approval."
The Valkyries have another pre-season game Sunday, May 11 in Phoenix. Their season home opener is Friday, May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
