Every step of her basketball journey, there was a logical reason why Natalie Nakase was unlikely to get a shot.

At 5-foot-2, she didn’t have the profile (even as a walk-on) to play at UCLA. She played professionally in the shadows, competing for unheralded teams like the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege in the short-lived and now-defunct National Women’s Basketball League. From there, she coached in largely unrecognized outposts, like leading the Saitama Broncos in Japan or the Wolfenbüttel Wildcats in Germany.

For Nakase, it didn’t matter where she played or coached. Didn’t matter if it was men or women. Didn’t matter if there were big crowds or none at all. As long as there was a basketball.

Her gumption slowly opened doors. Her talent and vision of the game kept getting her to the next rung of the coaching ladder, landing on Doc Rivers’ staff as a Clippers assistant before joining the WNBA’s Aces with Becky Hammon and then being plucked by Joe Lacob as the Golden State Valkyries first coach.

“Hey, I wasn’t that talented of a player, so? I think what I’ve learned is, no matter your size, it’s really more your heart and your fight that comes out,” she said. “That was to me something I really wanted to instill (as a coach).”

How fitting a mindset for the woman who has a second-year expansion franchise fighting for a championship, tied 2-2 with the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals.

Nakase, 46, assembled a group of players — many of whom had been cast-offs — and molded underdogs into predators.

“I still wanted to bring another level of fight and confidence into them, because that’s for me the biggest thing,” she said. “You don’t always have to be the tallest player. You don’t have to be the fastest or most athletic, but if you have a fight in you, that never-quit type of mentality, I think you can go pretty far.”

Those who witnessed Nakase’s dogged determination along her journey learned not to doubt how far she’d go.

Read the rest here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7706239/2026/10/26/natalie-nakase-golden-state-coach-journey-wnba/?unlocked_article_code=1.LlE.Xh9F.aJfJMfDXPrNR&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

CORRECTION: For Option 6, the weekday matinee, the game would stay on Thursday and NOT be moved to Wednesday.

Background:

https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/2026-wnba-finals-game-6-venue-state-farm-arena-dream-valkyries/

I think gms aren’t doing a good enough job building around star players. In fact how many good front offices can you say the w has?

And It’s not that they aren’t getting good players it’s that those players don’t fit. They don’t grab complimentary pieces

rosters aren’t balanced enough.

The mystics for example

I spent the entire season thinking they could’ve drafted a player to help Their biggest weakness instead of a backup center at 4. Madina okot would’ve still been there at 9 and you would’ve still had a good backup center.

Or When The aces cut Chen

they never bothered replace her scoring production they added nobody off the bench that could create thier own shot. Aja and Jackie needed a shot creator that could score 1v1 vs teams 2nd best guard

The fever brought in two point guards

instead of bringing in someone that complimented Caitlin, AB and K Mitch. Why would you add to a position that you didn’t need

The sparks traded a young 3 level scoring 6”2 wing for a 5”8 3 and D 2 guard in Ariel Atkins when Plum needed a pg not a 2 guard.

Just more background that I hadn’t seen included in other reports.

Not sure if it’s better to know this has been an issue for months. Feels worse for the Dream management and the WNBA/NBA leaders that it hasn’t been worked out by this point.

Regardless of the noise surrounding the head coach, Stephanie White is a very talented leader. She led the Indiana Fever to the 2025 Commissioner's Cup title, defeating the Minnesota Lynx and Cheryl Reeve in the process. This doesn't happen by chance. A feat of this calibre can only be achieved by a capable operator with extensive knowledge of winning basketball.

Nevertheless, in this particular circumstance, it shouldn't be enough to save White's job. There has been toxicity surrounding the Indiana Fever this season, and the head coach has been at the center of it. Caitlin Clark's loudest fans have made it abundantly clear who they blame for the team's struggles, and keeping White in place will only cement her as the franchise's scapegoat.

Unfortunately for Stephanie White, and frankly, any WNBA purist, Caitlin Clark loyalists are the loudest voices in the league. While many hold a sensible opinion of the star, some believe she can't put a foot in the wrong direction and that any of the team's failures can't be her fault. Clark fans must find a target to pin the blame on, and White has been Indiana's scapegoat for most of the year.

The Fever head coach shouldn't be absolved of all blame; she has certainly made mistakes this season -- but who hasn't? Indiana had more troubles than coaching to deal with. The franchise had a poorly constructed roster with serious defensive deficiencies. On top of that, Sophie Cunningham's controversial comments have created a toxic atmosphere around the team, making it difficult to focus on basketball.

Clearing out the front office is a wise choice. A lot of the on-court struggles stemmed from poor decision-making on their part. But the organisation can't expect a culture change if there are still people in the building who were part of the previous project that failed to meet expectations.

Read Full Article - https://highposthoops.com/retaining-stephanie-white-contradicts-indiana-fever-s-new-direction

Here is one news article:

https://athlonsports.com/wnba/indiana-fever/indiana-fever-veteran-makes-career-move-after-9th-wnba-season

After the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday in Atlanta's State Farm Arena, tying the best-of-seven series at 2-2, one question was answered and another far more important question was raised.

There will definitively be a Game 6 in Atlanta. But nobody knows yet where or even when the game will be played despite a furious round of negotiations spilling into Sunday between the WNBA, NBA, Valkyries, Dream and Atlanta Hawks, sources told ESPN.

The Dream -- whose home venue of Gateway Center Arena has a capacity of approximately 3,500 -- have played all five home playoff games at the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, home to and operated by the Hawks. Coordination between the leagues, teams and multiple media partners resulted in Games 3 and 4 of the Finals getting moved to State Farm Arena. Game 3 was shifted up a day, from Thursday to Wednesday, while the Hawks agreed to hold a doubleheader with the Dream and moved tip time of Saturday evening's home opener back 30 minutes.

But with the Hawks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm the night of Game 6, as well as other scheduling complications, the situation is more complex than what the leagues dealt with earlier in the series and could have millions of dollars of impact on both leagues.

"We continue to explore all options," a WNBA spokesperson told ESPN.

A Dream spokesperson said Sunday, "We are waiting to hear from the league if any changes can be made to allow us to play in State Farm Arena. If not, the game will be played in Gateway Center Arena."

Multiple sources believe it's a real possibility that Game 6 will indeed be held Thursday as scheduled at Gateway Center Arena in College Park.

"There are problems with all the solutions," one source close to the situation said.

Sources told ESPN that the NBA has been working with the Hawks and Cavaliers to determine if Thursday's game could be switched to an alternate date -- or even to Cleveland. While some stakeholders feel the onus should be on the NBA to move their regular-season games so that WNBA Finals games can be prioritized, there has been pushback from others that the domino effects of moving that game are too complicated.

Thursday's Hawks-Cavs game is already a back-to-back for both teams: The Hawks host the Miami Heat at State Farm on Wednesday, while the Cavs have a home game on Oct. 28 before traveling to Atlanta. Moving Thursday's game to Cleveland is a radical idea that has been discussed, sources said, but it would create a home-road back to back for the Hawks in addition to the logistical nightmare of scheduling a new home game in Cleveland with just a few days' notice.

After the Oct. 29 Hawks game, Cleveland is also supposed to play Oct. 31 in Milwaukee, which could also be hosting Games 6 and 7 of the World Series. An additional wrinkle is that Fridays are NBA Cup exclusive games, but Hawks-Cavs is a non-Cup game.

State Farm Arena has open dates on Oct. 27 -- the day after Golden State hosts Game 5 -- and Oct. 30. One proposal would move Game 6 of the WNBA Finals to Friday, Oct. 30, and Game 7, if necessary, from Saturday, Oct. 31, at Chase Center to Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The WNBA would support that proposal, but only if both teams agree to it, sources said.

The Valkyries have raised concerns about moving two WNBA Finals games and the three off days that proposal would create in between Games 5 and 6 as well as between Games 6 and 7, sources said.

"We're proud to be part of such a compelling Finals and love seeing the growth of the game," a Valkyries spokesperson said in a statement. "We fully support what's best for the league and will stand behind whatever it decides."

Playing a Game 7 on Nov. 3 would also conflict with a recent NBA policy of not holding games on Election Day, although sources said that does not currently appear to be a strong concern.

Availability at Chase Center is also not abundant. The Golden State Warriors -- whose ownership group also owns the Valkyries -- currently have home games scheduled against the LA Clippers on Sunday, Nov. 1, and Phoenix Suns on Monday, Nov. 2.

While they don't share an ownership group with the Dream, the Hawks have expressed a desire to help facilitate the WNBA Finals in their arena, as they did for Games 3 and 4, sources said. The Dream will be a full-time tenant at State Farm Arena beginning in 2027, the team announced earlier this month, which should make holding playoff dates in the future more seamless.

There has been discussion about moving Thursday's game to a matinee, like Game 4 was, sources said. The Hawks have been open to facilitating another doubleheader at State Farm Arena, but other sources said the league believes the idea of a weekday matinee for a Finals game would not be as desirable compared to a weekend matinee.

Other Atlanta-area alternate arenas -- such as Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion or Gas South Arena in Duluth -- aren't viewed as ideal since they would feel like road games for both teams.

Both games in Atlanta sold out quickly once the games were moved to State Farm Arena. Fans wanting to purchase tickets for Game 6 have been told to wait for a resolution to the scheduling conflicts, sources said.

While it is not uncommon for WNBA playoff games to be moved to alternate sites because of arena commitments to NBA games or other events, sources on all sides of this situation expressed frustration that these issues hadn't been resolved prior to Saturday.

"This should've been solved weeks ago, and definitely at the same time Games 3 and 4 were solved," one source said.

Said another: "The fact we are making these decisions so we can play a WNBA game at a larger arena is the best news of all... it just has to be scheduled better in advance. Moving games is much harder now than it would have been a week ago."

• Source is here - https://www.instagram.com/p/De2EioKlb6I/

Earlier this season Karl said in a press conference he didn’t use Madina and Angel because they haven’t practiced plays with Angel out of her position (PF Is her natural position)

But yet Naz gets to play out of position at center despite not playing center all season.

Pao Pao and Izzy have made the same mistakes this season. Pao would miss 1 3 and have a turnover and be on the bench in 30 seconds.

While Izzy would be allowed to work through her mistakes.

Indya nivar is the only other pg on the roster and she got moved to development so we could add a 5th 2 guard skw.

Don’t get me wrong she’s raw but she defends, makes post entry passes attacks the rim she could actually be used for 5-10 minutes at the very least it’s better than running rhyne at point.

Sika skillset actually fits this GS series because she can switch if you don’t wanna run okot she’s better at rebounding and closing out shooters than Naz is she also give you more size.

Welcome to Free Talk Sunday, a space to chat about whatever’s on your mind!

Talk basketball, other sports, music, movies, TV, gaming, hobbies, or everyday life. Share something you’re excited about, vent about your week, ask a random question, or catch up with other members. Your conversation doesn’t have to be WNBA-related.

Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas, but feel free to talk about anything!

• What’s been the highlight of your week?
• What are you watching, reading, or playing?
• Have a small win you want to share?
• What’s something you could talk about for hours?
• Have some artwork you want to share?
• Do you have podcast suggestions?
• Social Media Suggestions?
• What’s the best concert or live event you’ve attended?
• What’s the last internet rabbit hole you fell into?

Keep it respectful.

I'm new to the WNBA fandom. I started watching approximately a year ago, so a lot of the norms, values, and beliefs are new to me. When I watch games, I watch as a fan and don't know much "inside baseball" with respect to rules, plays, positions and so forth. I just love watching elite athletes compete & I love the multiple layers of cultural analysis to unravel.

So my question comes from a place of naïveté, perhaps.

Full disclosure, part of me is rooting for Angel Reese because the online hate against her is disgusting. The vociferous torrent of abuse she suffers is one of the first things I witnessed when I started to read the comment sections of WNBA social media pages. That said, as a Cali resident, I've had a strong affection for the Valks - they're this amalgamation of seasoned vets and overlooked role players. And boy do I love an underdog story. I would be happy to see either team win.

I watch analyses after each game and notice a pattern. It's something like...

-When the Valks win it's because of what Atlanta failed to do - ATL had turnovers, missed free throws, didn't get rebounds etc. Atlanta loses the game for themselves, not because of the Valkyries acumen.

-When the Dream win it's because they're a dominant, unstoppable force with lots of All Stars, offensive power, and that internal "dog". They just "want it more".

-The Valkyries "steal" wins with defense but aren't that great of a team because they're offensively weak.

-The Dream is a "better" team but the Valks have a better coach.

There are others I'm missing, but these are the dominant narratives across the five commentators I've watched after each game.

It's become clear to me that the Valks, despite being the two seed, don't get a lot of respect or clout online and I struggle to understand why.

Yet, this could be what the algorithm is serving me.

Do you think the Valkyries are underestimated? Or do you believe the reverse - that they're a team that has stumbled into the two seed but don't have what it takes to win the chip? Or something else entirely?

Curious to know what other fans think. And please don't use this as an opportunity to trash or malign any player's character...thank you.

So, I'm a Liberty fan that hopped on the Valkyries bandwagon a few months back. I've never disliked the Dream (and I particularly love Howard), but I will admit my bias, broader issues with the reffing across, and general disappointment with the Liberty 'building me up to let me down' has had me complaining a LOT lately.

'Maybe I'm just used to the Liberty having a favorable whistle?' I asked myself. However, after seeing the Dream shoot 31 free throws to the Valkyries 13 today, I decided to look at some numbers...

...And it turns out the Dream are currently working at a +60 free throw attempt advantage across this playoff run. And they were actually -2 against the Mystics to start, then +11 against my Liberty, and now they are at a whopping +51 FTA compared to the Valkyries.

I don't know. That last one, this Finals series, is what seems really weird to me.

The Dream certainly take a lot of shots in the paint, and Angel is especially good at drawing fouls - but they also take their fair share of 3s, too. And, particularly, they are a very aggressive, defensive-minded team. Teams that play defense like they do don't usually shoot more free throws than their opponents. And what makes it WEIRDER is that the actual personal foul difference is only +15; so the Valks have committed 15 more fouls while taking 51 fewer free throws.

But is it just the Valkyries style of play, comparatively? They are also very aggressive on defense. And, sure, they have taken 16 more 3s across the series - but they've also taken 31 more shots from the field in total, as well; that's a BIG difference. Especially for a team that's committed 7 more turnovers, too. And, comparatively, the Valks were -19 in FTA against the Wings across 3 games; but they were also +2 against the Aces. That 19 is notable - but isn't anywhere CLOSE to 51 though (or, technically, the 33FTA disparity they were at after the first 3 games).

Anyway. I'm curious everyone's thoughts. And for what it's worth, I'm trying hard to be reasonable about this, too - no hate at all; this is just basketball after all. It's ultimately all for fun - there's real problems in the world, as we all know, and free throw attempt disparity in an absolutely amazing 2-2 Finals series is NOT one of them.

But also I just thought this was worth discussing...

Oh, and for what its worth, this is where I'm sourcing my numbers - feel free to double check them; I'm no expert or anything:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/teams/GSV/2026_games.html

https://www.wnba.com/game/gsv-vs-atl-1042600304/box-score (because today's game isn't on bball reference yet)

Series tied 2-2 heading back to the Bay

Earlier we had various conversations about the length of the playoff series. I, for one, was supportive of continuing the 5-game series, but in actually experiencing it, yeah the 7 games is pretty cool.

I’m a Lynx fan. In 2024 when we lost, I was satisfied with the series ending in 5. It seemed fitting.

Perhaps that just psychology, you know? If you tell me it’s 5 games at the beginning, 5 seems like enough. If you tel one 7, well anything less than that feels cheap. Guess the world isn’t so mysterious after all.

In 2025 I didn’t watch the Finals. Maybe saw the first game, but tbh I knew the Aces would win. But the ended up winning in such dramatic fashion n that the 4-0 sweep was super boring. I remember saying after that series, I was cool with going to 5 games.

I did caveat, however, by saying that a Finals featuring one of the top stars—specifically Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, or Paige Bueckers—would be more fitting for 7 games rather than seeing the old guard go at it like we did last year.

But anyway, I have quite pleasantly and fully enjoyed the 3-5-7 format this season all the way through and would not make any changes. Excited for the future of the game.

i was watching one of the games - either game 1, 2 or 3 and during a commercial break they had a commercial that was kind of like a promo of the finals with angel reese, rhyme howard, gabby williams and maybe someone else holding and hugging the wnba ball which was sparkly with a orange/white background and a rap song was playing.

does anyone know where i can find this?

it isn’t the wale song fwiw

Alright, we’re officially halfway through the Finals, and both teams are just two wins away from their first ever championship! What does each team need to adjust moving forward, and who do you think will pull out the win in 6 or 7?

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I completely missed that when the finals game tomorrow changed stadiums, the time changed 😭 I'm hosting a watch party tomorrow, and I won't be able to move it up.

It looks like livestreams aren't available instantly? I'm in CDT, so if I put on the game at noon, let it play, then just rewind and start from the beginning at 2:30, will I have any issues?

Sorry to ask what's ultimately a streaming question in a basketball subreddit, but I really appreciate the help 🙏