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Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob has gotten used to winning.
Granted, much of that winning has come in the form of his other basketball franchise, the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. Since Lacob acquired the Warriors in 2010 he has enjoyed a myriad of success. Four NBA championships, most recently in 2022, and the winningest regular season in NBA history in 2016 has defined Lacob’s tenure with the team.
The Valkyries represent Lacob’s foray into WNBA, jumping on the rocket ship that has been women’s basketball in recent years.
His expansion franchise has been the talk of the league in 2025, smashing any and all expectations for a team in their debut season between the regular season success they have have so far enjoyed and the record-breaking jump in value with the Valkyries already becoming the league’s most valuable franchise at a reported $500 million evaluation, according to Sportico.
Lacob has not been quiet about his expectations for the Valkyries either, and is determined see confetti fall from the rafters of the Chase Center all year round.
When searching for a head coach to helm his franchise he made that expectation clear. According to an article by Logan Murdock of The Ringer published on Wednesday, Lacob held nothing back in his first meeting with Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase.
“I have high expectations, and we might as well get that right up front,” he told Nakase. “You have to win a title in five years. If you can’t handle that, you’re probably not the right person.”
The timeline Lacob presents is not only challenging, it is nearly unprecedented in the WNBA. Among expansion franchises in their own first five seasons, only the Seattle Storm have ever achieved the feat, doing so in 2004. Beyond that, expansion teams have typically faltered early in their existence due to the challenges of building up a team from the ground up.
In the face of Lacob’s challenge, it appears he may have his longterm coach in Nakase. She took his declaration in stride.
“I remember slamming the table,” she told Murdock. “I’m like, ‘Joe, I’m ready to sign.'”
Nakase brings the championship experience Lacob was looking for. She won two WNBA titles as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces under Becky Hammon. With most of the season through, Nakase has shown that she can navigate the stormy waters of a brand-new team and brought her team to a 14-15 record and if the season ended today, a trip to the playoffs.
Part of this exchange between Lacob and Nakase was revealed in October 2024 (via NBC Sports), but resurfaces in this article from Murdock.
Nakase has experienced first-year success despite a revolving door of players coming and going on the waiver wire and the loss of two of her best players: All-Star forward Kayla Thornton whose season is over due to a knee injury that required surgery and forward Monique Billings who has been out with a sprained left ankle and is still due for reevaluation in less than two weeks time.
These losses have led to some ups-and-downs as the Valkyries have split their last four games 2-2.
Now, with the Los Angeles Sparks coming to town on Saturday, the Valkyries’ playoff hopes may be facing their toughest challenge yet. The Sparks share a 14-15 record with the Valkyries and are the next spot behind them in the standings, just out of playoff reach for the time being. The outcome of Saturday’s game will determine the tie-breaker between the two teams if postseason standings come down to the wire.
