Ty Lue’s hilarious Natalie Nakase warning comes with a serious message for Valkyries coach ahead of WNBA Finals

It’s safe to say Ty Lue is proud of Natalie Nakase and also wants her to take care of her health.

On Tuesday, Lue was asked if he’s talked to Nakase after the Golden State Valkyries reached the WNBA Finals in her second year as head coach, to which he said “yes,” while also leaving her with a reminder.

“She better eat. Can’t have her passing out again on the court,” Lue said jokingly.

Lue was, of course, referring back to two weeks ago when Nakase suddenly collapsed during Game 3 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

Nakase’s sudden fall happened under the final two minutes of the fourth quarter as Golden State was trailing the Dallas Wings 72-71.

Nakase was removed from the remainder of the game, while assistant coach Kasib Powell coached the rest of the game in her place.

The Valkyries went on to win the game 77-73 and are now set to face the Atlanta Dream in the Finals.

Nakase said after her incident that she went home that night and “ate and drank right after and felt better.”

Prior to Lue’s comments, on Monday Nakase told reporters that her sister has left behind meals and snacks for her as a reminder to eat. As well as the support from her assistant coaches reminding her to eat.

“I do realize now, watching myself, I don’t eat,” Nakase said. “…because I’m so excited with the film and game planning, and I just forget. So yeah, I’m monitoring myself.”

Nakase, a Southern California native who played college basketball at UCLA used to serve as an assistant alongside Lue during his first two seasons with the Clippers in 2019-2020.

After leaving the Clippers organization in 2022, Nakase served as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, the same team who have won three of the last four WNBA titles — the same team she eliminated in the semifinals last Friday.

“I congratulated her on beating a very good team. Becky Hammon, the best coach in the WNBA and the Aces, they won [3 of the last 4],” Lue said. “Going in to beat a team like that, it tells you what kind of coach Natalie is. I’m happy for her.”

Lue, who helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first NBA title in 2016, said that Nakase asked him if he had any advice for the WNBA Finals.

“I said, ‘you don’t need my advice. You’re way better than me. You’re doing a better job than I am. So you got it. You’ve done a great job,'” Lue said. “I’m very happy for her.”