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The Golden State Valkyries are back for their second WNBA season, and the energy is already building. After a standout inaugural season that exceeded expectations, the team heads into 2026 with strong momentum and a clear goal of pushing even further. The 2026 WNBA regular season tips off May 8 and runs through September 24.
Last season marked a historic debut for the Valkyries, as the team quickly established itself as a force in the league. With a strong roster and leadership from Head Coach Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries delivered one of the most successful inaugural seasons in sports history, becoming the first-ever expansion team to make the WNBA playoffs.
Leading the Valkyries Forward: Natalie Nakase
After the closing of the end of their first season, Head Coach Natalie Nakase visited Rakuten International’s headquarters in San Mateo, California, for a fireside chat on leadership, growth, and what it takes to keep leveling up. She shared insights from her rise as an intern with the Los Angeles Clippers to 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year.
The event was hosted by the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi (APID) Employee Resource Group and Rakuten’s Sports and Entertainment team. Karen Paek, Rakuten Viki’s VP of Marketing and APID executive sponsor moderated the engaging discussion centered on Natalie’s basketball journey as a player and as an award-winning coach.
A Journey Defined by Resilience
To reach the highest ranks of professional basketball, Natalie consistently chose challenge over comfort. After establishing herself as one of California’s top high school athletes, she pursued a harder but more rewarding route: turning down a full scholarship with a lesser program to try out as a walk-on at her dream school, UCLA.
Not only did she make the team, but she also went on to make history. Natalie’s early success and go-getter mindset led to a career spanning coaching roles in Germany and Japan. She then returned home to coaching positions with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, before being named in 2024 as the first-ever head coach of the Golden State Valkyries.
An important part of Natalie’s winning philosophy is her belief in using failure as a teacher: “Fail as much as you can. Risk as much as you can. Because that’s the only way you’re really going to grow,” Natalie said. After losses, Natalie encourages her players to feel the sting, then move forward by embracing hard-earned insights that will improve their gameplay. “The best part about losing is that you learn from each loss."
“Fail as much as you can. Risk as much as you can. Because that’s the only way you’re really going to grow.”
(Image credit: Golden State Valkyries)
Connecting Through Community and Purpose
Rakuten proudly joined the Golden State Valkyries as a founding partner in 2025, grounded in a shared commitment in growth and excellence.
Natalie’s and the Valkyries’ emphasis on pushing to the next level closely aligns with Rakuten’s leading values, or, Shugi principles, particularly “Always Improve, Always Advance.” The Rakuten x Valkyries partnership helps everyone level up, through initiatives like 10% Always On Cash Back, and exclusive merchandise opportunities throughout the season, empowering fans to have more and buying power lean into a personal style that makes them uniquely themselves.
As part of their partnership, Rakuten and the Valkyries are working to create new pathways for visibility and leadership for women. Our shared programs celebrate self-expression, inclusion, and the courage to dream big and achieve more, an embodiment of Rakuten’s principle of being “Passionately Professional” in everything we do.
Representation That Moves the Game Forward
Natalie’s historic achievement as the WNBA’s first Asian American head coach resonates deeply with APID’s and Rakuten International’s ethos of lifting up and celebrating the cultural identities of our employees.
Natalie’s story is a powerful reminder of representation in action. Her presence, dedication, determination, and confidence are powerful symbols of progress for APID women both on and off the court, reflecting our belief in fostering inclusion and empowering individuals to lead and inspire.
Rakuten is proud to be a founding partner of the Golden State Valkyries. Congratulations to Coach Natalie Nakase and the Valkyries on a phenomenal first season and we can’t wait to see what this new season brings.
