The Student Union came alive Monday night at San José State for its Spartan Speakers Series.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was one of two guests for the event.
Coach Nakase was an assistant coach on the Las Vegas Aces for three seasons, where they won the WNBA Championship in back-to-back seasons, in 2022 and 2023, before being hired by the Valkyries as the franchise’s first head coach, according to an October 10, 2024 USA today article.
The Valkyries were announced as the WNBA’s newest team in 2023, marking the league’s first expansion since the Atlanta Dream were announced in 2008.
Their colors—violet, black, and white—tie them to Golden State’s identity while giving them a distinct look of their own, according to an October 10, 2024 USA Today article.
“I think I was inspired just because I love the game of basketball and I just really enjoy helping people and I love to push them to the point of where it passes their expectations,” Nakase said.
Nakase took the helm of the Valkyries following over 16 years of coaching professional basketball, including 11 seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, and three seasons as first assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces, where they won the WNBA Championship in back-to-back seasons, in 2022 & 2023, according to the same article.
Nakase spent two seasons in the National Women’s Basketball League with the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege before playing a year in Germany.
After a knee injury ended her playing career, she stayed overseas to coach in Germany from 2008 to 2010, according to the same article.
“Well I got hurt, so I played professionally and so coaching really wasn’t an ideal choice, I wanted to play as long as (I) could,” Nakase said.
Nakase was a walk-on women’s basketball player at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1998-2003, where she played her way into the starting lineup and served as team captain for three seasons.
She graduated from UCLA with her bachelor of science in psychology, according to her UCLA player bio.
“When I got injured the second time, I realized coaching was the next best thing to playing. I enjoy helping people and pushing them out of their comfort zones — that’s what I love most about coaching,” Nakase said.
Nakase had success in her first season as the Valkyries head coach.
She won the WNBA Coach of the Year award and brought the team to its first playoff appearance as an NBA expansion team.
The Valkyries had a record-breaking 23 wins, which is the most by any WNBA expansion team in history, according to a Sept. 11 Valkyries article.
SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson, said that SJSU does a great job at attracting big names to come visit campus.
“Well we attract a lot of big names, but it’s really exciting for us to have a woman coach leading the Valkyries,” Teniente-Matson said. “Just recently, their big game here at SAP (Center) so it’s exciting, there’s a crowd of people here to meet her so I’m thrilled to have her here.”
The Valkyries had to host their first-round playoff games at SAP Center because of a schedule conflict with Chase Center.
Team officials said the Chase Center can’t be used because it’ll be getting ready for the Laver Cup, an international tennis event taking place Sept. 19–21.
Chase Center was booked for this event before the Valkyries became a team, according to a Sep, 5 2025 CBS News Article.
“So this is organized by several of our student groups and every year, they bring speakers,” Teniente-Matson said. “So there’s a process for how speakers are selected and then brought to campus.”
Since 2016, the Spartan Speaker Series has brought a range of voices to San José State – from writers and researchers to artists and activists, according to the SJSU Student Involvement webpage.
The events give students and community members a space to hear different viewpoints on current issues and talk about how those topics connect to their own lives, according to the SJSU Student Involvement webpage.
Geoffrey Agustin, fourth-year computer engineering student and Vice President & Chair of the Associated Students Board of Directors at SJSU, shared his thoughts on why this event was important for the campus community.
“I think it’s really special. I’ve been a basketball fan for a really long time, but especially to be able to come and meet a head coach of a WNBA team – and one so close in the Bay Area – that’s amazing,” Agustin said.
“The fact that I get to impact so many people in under an hour is really cool, and I appreciate that they’re willing to learn from my experiences,” Nakase said. “I don’t know if they’ll take something from it, I hope so, but it’s great to meet Valkyries organically and help in any way I can, whether it’s motivating them or just making them laugh. It’s a unique situation to be in.”
