The WNBA had a harrowing moment during the Golden State Valkyries' game against the Dallas Wings last night (Oct. 2), when the Valkyries' head coach, Natalie Nakase, collapsed on the court.
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Footage shared online shows the 46-year-old coach pause and blink seemingly mid-sentence with an official. She then abruptly collapsed to her knees, placing her hands on her head with her face on the court. As Nakase seems to struggle to regain her composure, assistant coaches and medical staff step over to aid the ailing coach.
They manage to get Nakase to her feet as she briefly clutches her stomach. Her assistant coaches then help Nakase walk down the court as she runs her fingers through her raven locks.
While the WNBA commentators speculated that she may have slipped, Nakase seemed to rally. She steps over to her team, already in a huddle, and begins speaking to them.
The incident didn't derail her Golden State Valkyries, who overcame the Dallas Wings 77-73, sending Nakase's team to the next round of the WNBA playoffs. However, according to The Associated Press, the coach needed to be helped off the court after the win.
ESPN's Kendra Andrews later posted on X that the Valkyries' organization said Nakase was "exhausted and got lightheaded during the game" and is "fine now."
Assistant Coach Insists Natalie Nakase "Is Fine" Following Collapse on Court
Meanwhile, assistant coach Kasib Powell claimed Nakase was doing well following the on-court spill in a post-game press conference.
"Natalie is fine," he insisted, according to ESPN.
Powell also implied his boss would be at the helm during their next game.
"Obviously, it's a quick turnaround; we play again on Sunday. She wouldn't miss it for anything," Powell told reporters.
"We're just trying to figure it out," he added. "We just know that we [saw] her afterward and she was fine, laughing, in great spirits. We'll figure out more as we go, but I think she's totally fine. She's talking. She's laughing in the back. We look forward to preparing and getting ready for Sunday."
When pressed by reporters as to whether her on-court collapse affected the team, Powell was quick to push back.
"We were locked in as that happened, when she went to the sidelines, she drew the next play up, she was in the huddle getting on them about getting a stop, so she didn't skip a beat at all," he recalled.
"We just tried to step up ourselves," the team's forward Gabby Williams added, according to ESPN. "We're just happy that she's okay."
