Natalie Nakase
| Los Angeles Clippers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant video coordinator |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 18, 1980 Anaheim, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Marina (Huntington Beach, California) |
| College | UCLA (1998–2003) |
| Playing career | 2005–2008 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2005 | San Jose Spiders |
| 2006 | San Diego Siege |
| 2007–2008 | Herner |
| As coach: | |
| 2008–2010 | Wolfenbüttel Wildcats |
| 2010–2011 | Tokyo Apache (assistant) |
| 2011–2012 | Saitama Broncos |
Natalie Mitsue Nakase (born April 18, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach who currently serves as an assistant video coordinator with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After retiring as a professional player, she has been a head coach for both men's and women's professional teams.
Nakase grew up in Orange County, California, where she was honored as the county's high school player of the year. She played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, receiving honorable mention as an all-conference player in the Pacific-10 Conference. A third-generation Japanese-American, she became the first Asian American to play in the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL). She also played in Germany before suffering a knee injury and retiring as a player. Nakase went into coaching, and served as a head coach of a women's team in Germany before becoming the first female head coach in Japan's top pro men's league. She returned to the United States in pursuit of a coaching career in the NBA, joining the Clippers in 2012.
Nakase was born in Anaheim, California, the youngest of three daughters to Gary and Debra Nakase. Her parents are both second-generation Japanese-Americans.
Nakase grew up in Huntington Beach, California, where she attended Marina High School and was a four-year lettererman playing basketball. She led the school to two Sunset League titles. In 1998, the team won their first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section title. Nakase averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 assists that season, when she was named the 1998 Orange County Player of the Year by both the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register. She finished her career as the Sunset League leader in career assists, and set school records for career assists, steals and three-point field goals made.
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