WNBA Coach Natalie Nakase to Wear Heart Monitor After On-Court Collapse
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase stated she will wear a heart monitor after experiencing a health scare during a playoff game, calling the incident a 'wake-up call.'
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase will wear a heart monitor following a collapse on the sideline during her team's WNBA playoff game against the Dallas Wings. Nakase described the incident as a "wake-up call" during a press conference Sunday.
The 46-year-old coach experienced the health scare while speaking with an official during Game 3 on Friday. She attributed the collapse to "a little exhaustion" and was well enough to coach her team to a 71-60 victory over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals on Sunday.
"I wanted to learn from my [late] father. He was an extremely hard-working man. I follow in his footsteps and I thrive in that," Nakase said. "He just said: 'Do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated.' So when that happened, it definitely was like a wake-up call for me. I got checked through doctors to see if everything looks good."
With a few minutes remaining in Friday's game, Nakase fell to the ground, placing her head and hands on the court. She was assisted by athletic trainer Katelin Knox and remained in the game. After the final buzzer, she was escorted off the floor by a staff member as her team celebrated.
Nakase plans to be proactive about her health. "I think information for me is important and so I'm going to look to wear a heart monitor, just for information, just to see. I have this Oura ring. But I just wanna be proactive, be smart. I understand this job for me, I love it. Sometimes I love it too much to a point where I overwork and I just wanna make sure I'm being smart."
During Sunday's game against the Aces, Nakase was observed sitting on the bench for portions of the game, a departure from her usual practice of remaining on her feet. Assistants Kasib Powell and Landon Tatum shared coaching responsibilities with her. "I was all right, I wasn't my best but luckily I have an amazing staff," she stated.
The semifinal series pits Nakase against Becky Hammon, the coach of the defending champion Aces. Nakase previously served as an assistant coach under Hammon during the Aces' consecutive championship wins in 2022 and 2023.
Hammon commented on Nakase's resilience, calling her a "little mighty mouse work horse, there's no doubt about that." She added, "The stress this time of year is real, the pressure, you don't get a lot of sleep, you're not eating as well as you probably should, there's a lot of factors that go into that. It was kind of scary actually to watch. That little sucker popped right back up though, popped right back up onto that marker and kept it pushing. She's tough."