Doc Rivers gives former assistant Natalie Nakase her flowers after Valkyries’ WNBA championship win

Natalie Nakase is having a moment. She deserves every second of it. She earned it. She worked her way up and did not take shortcuts. She toiled in different roles, including in Japan, pushing herself to learn everything she could. Now, Nakase has led the Golden State Valkyries to a historic championship after defeating the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. Doc Rivers gave the 46-year-old Nakase her big break in 2018, hiring her as an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Clippers. She worked with the Clippers until 2022, then signed with the Las Vegas Aces.