Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase revealed she will wear a heart monitor after collapsing during Golden State’s WNBA playoff clash against the Dallas Wings.
Nakase admitted it was a ‘wake-up call’ after she suffered the health scare while talking to an official during Game 3 on Friday night.
The 46-year-old put her collapse down to ‘a little exhaustion’ and she was well enough to coach her team to a 71-60 Game 1 win in the WNBA semifinals Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces.
‘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 explained.
‘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.’
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase collapsed during Golden State’s WNBA playoff clash
‘It definitely was like a wake-up call for me,’ the 46-year-old admitted on Sunday
With a couple of minutes left in Friday night’s decider against the Wings, the 46-year-old suddenly dropped to the ground before putting her head and hands on the court.
Nakase was helped up by athletic trainer Katelin Knox. She finished the game but exited the floor immediately following the final buzzer, escorted by a member of her staff as her team celebrated at midcourt.
‘I’m going to do [what] my dad didn’t do — and may he rest in peace — I’m gonna be proactive,’ Nakase said.
‘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.’
On Sunday against the Aces, Nakase sat on the bench for stretches when she is usually on her feet for the majority of a game. Assistants Kasib Powell and Landon Tatum rotated with her.
‘I was all right, I wasn’t my best but luckily I have an amazing staff,’ she said.
She was well enough to coach her team to a win in the semifinals Sunday against the Aces
The best-of-five matchup with the defending WNBA champion Aces sees Nakase coaching against Becky Hammon, who had Nakase on her staff as an assistant coach when the team won consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.
Hammon called Nakase a ‘little mighty mouse work horse, there’s no doubt about that.’
‘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 your probably should, there’s a lot of factors that go into that,’ Hammon said.
‘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.’
