“We Go to War Tomorrow”: Becky Hammon Sets Record Straight on Facing Her Former Aces Assistants Coach Natalie Nakase in the WNBA Semifinals
· Yahoo Sports
The WNBA playoffs will now move to the semifinals phase, and a story has written itself as a former coaching duo finds themselves on opposite sides of the court. With the Natalie Nakase-led Golden State Valkyries and the Becky Hammon-led Las Vegas Aces set to lock horns for the first game of a five-game series in less than 24 hours, fans could not help but notice that it will be a battle between a teacher and a student.
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Before Nakase took over as the head coach of the Valkyries last year, she spent her first three years in the WNBA as an assistant on Hammon’s staff in Las Vegas. Now, just a season later, they will fight a do-or-die battle, where one team is guaranteed to go home. So Aces coach Hammon knows there is little room for old friendships, as she expressed in an Instagram post by Girls Talk Sports TV.
“I’m super happy for her and the success that she’s had there,” Hammon said. “But right now, she’s on the other side. So, congratulations to her, but we go to war tomorrow.”
From 2022 to 2024, Nakase was right beside Becky Hammon as the Aces built themselves into one of the WNBA’s most dominant teams. She was part of the coaching staff that helped Las Vegas win back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, while also developing her coaching skills under Hammon, who had already established herself as one of the best.
The two also developed a close bond during their time together. Hammon has previously spoken about the countless late-night conversations they shared while trying to find ways to make the Aces better. For Nakase, those three years became an important part of her growth as a coach and helped prepare her for the opportunity to finally lead her own team in Golden State.
In fact, leaving Las Vegas was not an easy decision for Nakase. Initially, she didn’t even take interviews for head-coaching opportunities because of how much she valued working with Becky Hammon and the Aces. But when the opportunity with the Valkyries came around, Nakase finally decided to leave. That decision has clearly paid off.
Natalie Nakase took over an expansion franchise and immediately turned the Valkyries into one of the league’s strongest teams. She earned the title of Coach of the Year last season and is currently guiding the Valkyries to a 32-12 record. And now, the student gets a chance to knock her former mentor out of the race for a championship.
The timing also makes the matchup even more interesting. Golden State entered the series as the No. 2 seed and will have home-court advantage, with Game 1 set for Sunday at Chase Center. They also come in with plenty of momentum after overcoming a 16-point deficit to eliminate the Dallas Wings in a winner-take-all Game 3, which they will hope to carry against the defending champions.
But in their three meetings during the regular season, Becky Hammon and the Aces swept all three games, including a 92-73 win in their most recent matchup on June 21.
The Aces will arrive in the semifinals playing some of their best basketball of the season. They dropped Game 2 to Indiana in the first round, but behindA’ja Wilson’s 36 points in Game 3, Las Vegas bounced back to eliminate the Fever and has now won nine of its last 10 games. With Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young leading the charge, Hammon has plenty of reasons to believe her team is ready for another deep playoff run as they chase another back-to-back title.
But this time, standing in her way is a coach she helped prepare for this exact moment. And once the ball goes up on Sunday, whatever history Becky Hammon and Natalie Nakase share will have to take a back seat. Before Game 1, ESPN has given the Valkyries a 64.1% chance of winning per their predictor. Only time will tell if they are right and if Nakase can overthrow her mentor.
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