SAN FRANCISCO — Natalie Nakase is back on the bench for the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday for their series opener against the Las Vegas Aces after a scary episode two nights prior.

The Valkyries’ coach collapsed to the floor during a timeout with 1:40 left in Golden State’s dramatic 77-73 comeback win over the Dallas Wings on Friday night at Chase Center.

The Valkyries were in the final stages of their 16-point comeback when Nakase went to the floor. Though she was able to make it through the game, there was continued concern for her well-being after the collapse, which she said Sunday was due to exhaustion.

Nakase left the floor immediately after shaking hands with the Dallas coaching staff and was holding her head in her hands as she left the floor. She did not attend the team’s postgame news conference.

She addressed her condition pregame on Sunday.

“Got checked through the doctors. Everything looks good,” Nakase said. “I’m going to be proactive. Information for me is going to be really important, so I’m going to look to monitor.”

Nakase was checked out by doctors after the game and postgame reports were positive. But until she returned to a public setting, it was going to be hard to ascertain how she would lead her team on Sunday as the Valkyries opened the WNBA semifinals by hosting the defending champion Aces.

After being helped up by her assistant coaches and grabbing her forehead, she returned to the Valkyries’ huddle and drew up the play that led to Gabby Williams’ go-ahead shot that put the Valkyries up 73-72 with 1:17 left.

Nakase said her father Gary, who died in 2021 at age 79, had previously told her to prioritize her physical and mental health and not let it suffer at the expense of her career.

It’s a message fresh in her mind after Friday night.

“You could want to win as much as you want,” Nakase said. “But when I say empty the tank, if my tank is not full, whether it’s rest, food, hydration, like everything, then I’m not going to be able to give my full self during the game, as you guys saw.

“So it’s doing that. It’s taking the time and organizing my mornings”

Aces coach Becky Hammon, Nakase’s former boss with Vegas from 2022-2024, said she was concerned about Nakase when she saw her go down on Friday.

“She is a little mighty mouse workhorse,” Hammon said. “There’s no doubt about that. But the stress this time of year is real. The pressure. You don’t get a lot of sleep. You’re not eating as well as you probably should. There’s a lot of factors that go into that. That was kind of scary, actually, to watch.”

Hammon was candid about her own approach to mental and physical health during the playoffs, saying that she doesn’t focus on her self-care during the push for the championship.

“I’m gonna be completely honest, no,” she said. “Not til after the season, no, I don’t.”

Nakase sounds as if she will be more vigilant after her experience Friday night.

“My father, he was an extremely hardworking man,” she said. “I followed in his footsteps and I thrive in that. But he told me – this was about 10 years ago when I never knew what I was going to do with my career – he said, ‘Do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated.’

“So when that happened, it was definitely a wake-up call for me.”

Salaün wins sixth player of the year

In strictly basketball news, Janelle Salaün capped off a stellar season off the bench by winning the WNBA’s sixth player of the year award unanimously.

The Valkyries’ super substitute was widely considered the runaway favorite for the award after setting league records for points, 3-pointers and 3-pointers per game off the bench.

Salaün averaged 22.1 minutes and 12.7 points per game, the latter ranking seventh all-time for a reserve. She was noted for her 3-point prowess in particular, converting 39.2% of her attempts from deep.

The second-year French forward made the WNBA All-Rookie team last season.

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