The Valkyries announced the hiring of Head Coach Natalie Nakase in October 2024. Nakase took the role after 16 years of coaching professional basketball, which included 10 years with the Los Angeles Clippers and three seasons as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces.
News of Nakase's hiring was met with a lot of enthusiasm, and she's been equally enthusiastic in her support of the team and her plans for their inaugural season.
Since Nakase didn't leave one head coaching job for another, she didn't have a staff to bring from the Aces to San Francisco — though it can be assumed she will have the final say about who is and isn't hired. Here's a look at the league's hiring rules and who the Valkyries might bring on board.
Teams can hire up to three assistant coaches — but there's a catch
WNBA teams are typically staffed with an associate head coach and up to three assistant coaches. Teams can bring on up to three assistants as long as the third is a former WNBA player. The rule was added in 2020 and nearly immediately increased the number of coaching positions by 50%.
There are plenty of incredible former players that would be equally fantastic coaches, but not all of them are available – and it's not clear if all of them are interested. With that in mind, it's still fun to dream up best-case scenarios, and there are three former WNBA players who stand out as potential associate head coaches or assistant coaches for the Valkyries.
Tamika Catchings
Catchings was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2002 and spent her entire career with the team until she exited the league in 2016. After playing overseas for several years, Catchings joined the SEC Network as an analyst. In 2017, Catchings returned to the Fever family and joined the Indiana Pacers in an administrative capacity.
Often hailed as one of the best two-way players in the history of the game, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, ten-time WNBA All-Star, and five-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Catchings was also known for prolific stats before being drafted.
According to posts on her Instagram feed, in recent years Catchings has joined the SEC and ACC networks as an analyst and is also the owner of a cafe... but that doesn't mean she wouldn't answer if the WNBA came calling.
Seimone Augustus
Former LSU Tiger Seimone Augustus was the first overall pick by the Lynx in the 2006 draft and stayed with the team until 2019. The four-time WNBA champion, eight-time WNBA All-Star, and WNBA Rookie of the Year was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2021 and 2022 before she stepped back due to personal reasons — but Augustus always maintained that she'd love to return to coaching if the conditions were right.
While Augustus is currently an assistant coach at LSU, it would be incredible to see her return to the WNBA with the Valkyries.
Lisa Leslie
Sure, Leslie — the seventh overall pick in the 1997 draft — is busy as an analyst and commentator for ESPN, but ever since she showed off her coaching skills for the Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, fans have been hungry for more.
Leslie, the first player to ever dunk in the WNBA, played for the Sparks from 1997 to 2002. She's a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, three-time WNBA MVP, and in 2008 she became the the second basketball player to win four gold medals in the Olympics. She hardly needs an introduction to anyone remotely familiar with the WNBA, and bringing her on to the Valkyries would be an incredible power move.