Golden State Valkyries coach collapses midgame during WNBA playoffs
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase briefly collapsed on the court during Friday’s playoff win over the Dallas Wings.
Nakase, 46, fell to her hands and knees while speaking with a referee during a fourth-quarter timeout at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Moments later, she was helped to her feet by others and appeared to put her hand to her head.
She coached the rest of the game, Game 3 of the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, and the Valkyries won 77-73. She didn’t speak to reporters afterward, as head coaches are normally expected to.
Assistant coach Kasib Powell, who addressed the media in her place, said Nakase was “fine.”
“Natalie’s fine,” Powell said. “Obviously, it’s a quick turnaround. We play again on Sunday. She wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“We’ll figure out more as we go, but I think she’s totally fine.” he added. “She’s talking, she’s laughing in the back. We look forward to preparing and getting ready for Sunday.”
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Trump’s strikes against Houthis foreshadowed struggles in Iran war
FOR SUBSCRIBERSWalmart’s quest for market share expands with a new bohemian fashion brand
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘It’s not enough to not rape somebody’: How parents are talking to kids about Cornell allegations
FOR SUBSCRIBERSLove is a casualty of war: How Russia’s invasion is killing Ukraine’s birthrate
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHigh-profile special prosecutor takes over Cornell investigation
FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore than 10,000 ICE officers to receive additional training to reduce violent encounters
FOR SUBSCRIBERSKremlin critic and chess champion Garry Kasparov said FBI warned his life was in danger
FOR SUBSCRIBERSTom Cruise takes on a new mission: Selling ‘Digger’
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I am Jane Doe’: Cornell case spurs women to share their experiences of sexual assault on campus
FOR SUBSCRIBERSA sluggish Congress punts a long list of tasks until after the election
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Some of the medication has worn off’: Witness recalls failed Tennessee execution of Christa Pike
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Couldn’t let all of them die’: Hero Indian pilot attacked midair speaks for first time
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight
FOR SUBSCRIBERSJudge guts noncitizen voting law used in Trump administration’s election push
Powell said Nakase will coach Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces, the defending champions. The series opens in San Francisco.
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Trump’s strikes against Houthis foreshadowed struggles in Iran war
FOR SUBSCRIBERSWalmart’s quest for market share expands with a new bohemian fashion brand
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘It’s not enough to not rape somebody’: How parents are talking to kids about Cornell allegations
FOR SUBSCRIBERSLove is a casualty of war: How Russia’s invasion is killing Ukraine’s birthrate
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHigh-profile special prosecutor takes over Cornell investigation
FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore than 10,000 ICE officers to receive additional training to reduce violent encounters
FOR SUBSCRIBERSKremlin critic and chess champion Garry Kasparov said FBI warned his life was in danger
FOR SUBSCRIBERSTom Cruise takes on a new mission: Selling ‘Digger’
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I am Jane Doe’: Cornell case spurs women to share their experiences of sexual assault on campus
FOR SUBSCRIBERSA sluggish Congress punts a long list of tasks until after the election
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Some of the medication has worn off’: Witness recalls failed Tennessee execution of Christa Pike
FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Couldn’t let all of them die’: Hero Indian pilot attacked midair speaks for first time
FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight
FOR SUBSCRIBERSJudge guts noncitizen voting law used in Trump administration’s election push
“We do know that she will be ready for Sunday,” Powell said.
The series winner will advance to the WNBA Finals to face either the eighth-seeded Liberty or the fourth-seeded Dream.