Reporting from CHASE CENTER
Before Sunday’s game against the Toronto Tempo, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase spoke at length about the ongoing debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports, which has become a recurring WNBA off-the-court storyline.
Nakase, a third-generation Japanese American, didn’t hold back about how sports bring people together. Speaking from personal experience, she said:
“Sports is about belonging. It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self. … I’m big on that, just because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity. I’ve been in those, ‘You shouldn’t belong here’ [conversations] many times. And for me, I don’t want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that. So I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”
At 5 feet 2 inches, Nakase made history in 2005 as the first Asian American player in the National Women’s Basketball League when she took the court for the San Jose Spiders. She broke another barrier in 2024 when the Valkyries hired her as head coach, making her the first Asian American head coach in WNBA history.
Nakase’s comments follow remarks by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who voiced her opposition to transgender women competing in women’s sports. Over the past week, Fever games across the country have featured protests from both supporters and opponents of Cunningham’s stance.
On Sunday, Cunningham and the Fever faced the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. Spectators greeted Cunningham with a chorus of boos the moment she touched the ball, and the booing continued throughout the game.
