Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase blazing new trails as WNBA’s first Asian American head coach

DON’T TELL NATALIE NAKASE she doesn’t have what it takes to do something. The coach of the San Francisco Bay Area’s first WNBA team got to where she is by learning to block out those who underestimated her.

“If I hear one negative thing about my goal, about my dream, it’s out, we’re done,” Nakase told The Associated Press. “It made my circle really small, but it’s made my circle really powerful and encouraging and supportive for me.”