
Golden State Valkyries players nearly reached for the “pause” button after hearing a remark from their head coach, Natalie Nakase, during Wednesday’s championship parade.
While speaking on stage, Nakase praised the intangible factors behind the success of Golden State’s defense, widely regarded as the best in the league during the 2026 season.
“The reason why defense is our identity is because these women are gritty,” Nakase said.
Nakase then used words that seemed like a double entendre.
“They’re nasty. They’re aggressive. And it’s part of The Bay. We intentionally picked all of these players because they have that. They like it rough, they like it tough.”
Some of the players could be seen smiling and laughing after what Nakase said, including Kiah Stokes, who had a hilarious reaction.
“No, but like the basketball, guys, the basketball,” Nakase clarified. “I’m being serious.”
Here is a video of that part.
"I’m being serious, guys." Natalie Nakase had Kiah Stokes and Gabby Williams cracking up https://t.co/OVteLcJiDy
— espnW (@espnW) November 4, 2026
Nakase didn’t intend for that remark to mean anything beyond basketball, but at least everyone was able to get through that moment with smiles on their faces.
Golden State won the WNBA title despite the franchise being only in the second season of its existence.
That success had a lot to do with what Nakase was talking about, as the Valkyries finished the regular season No. 1 in the league with a 99.1 defensive rating. They held opponents to just 75.1 points per game, while no other team surrendered fewer than 82.7 points.
In the WNBA Finals, the Valkyries edged Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream in a seven-game series.
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