🔥 Kate Martin for 3! Golden State Valkyries WNBA women’s basketball
Valkyries’ Kate Martin Reacts to Exciting Natalie Nakase News
Golden State guard Kate Martin was happy to hear the honor her head coach received.
Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin took to Instagram Thursday to express her excitement over some high praise head coach Natalie Nakase recieved this week.
Nakase was named WNBA Coach of the Month for June after the team posted a 7-4 record for the month and improved the team record to 9-7 on the season, good for sixth in the league. Nakase received the news early on Thursday surrounded by her staff and players in the locker room.
Martin reposted the Valkyries’ announcement of Nakase’s honor on her own Instagram story to an audience of over 467,000 Instagram followers.
Martin had one thing to add to the announcement, captioning her story “Yasssssss.”
Martin joined Golden State in its inaugural season after being selected in the 2025 Expansion Draft to build the Valkyries roster. She previously played for the Las Vegas Aces, the team that drafted her out of the University of Iowa, in 2024.
Martin has played in 15 games for the Valkyries in 2025, starting one, while averaging 17.6 minutes and 7.3 points per game as part of an explosive Valkyries offense.
Golden State is not the first time Nakase and Martin have shared a team. The two have known each other since 2024, when Martin was a rookie for the Aces and Nakase was on the coaching staff. That familiarity has bred respect, and the two have spoken fondly of each other in past interviews.
“Her [Martin} work ethic is probably one of the top notch… when a person has that type of work ethic, the limits are endless,” Nakase said (via “The Late Sub” with Claire Watkins). “She asks a ton of questions, and you’ve got to love that. That’s, like, the coach’s dream.”
