Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase appeared to collapse near the sideline as she spoke to a referee late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s elimination playoff game before recovering to coach the remainder of the game.
The Valkyries declined after the game to provide more information about the situation. After beating the Dallas Wings in Game 3 of the first round to advance to the semifinals, Nakase did not attend the post-game news conference and assistant Kasib Powell attended in her place. Powell provided a positive outlook on Nakase after the game.
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“We’re just trying to figure it out. We just know that we’ve seen her afterwards, and she was fine, laughing and in great spirits,” he said.
As Dallas held a 72-71 lead with 1:40 remaining during a late timeout, Nakase was in discussion with official Fatou Cissoko-Stephens when she suddenly leaned forward and dropped to her knees. She placed her head on the court for a few moments before being helped to the bench as she held her head. She did not leave the sideline and quickly got back to coaching, guiding the No. 2 seeded Valkyries to a 77-73 victory to advance to their first semifinals.
This is the recent expansion team’s second season. They’ll face the No. 3 seed Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals on Sunday.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
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