Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on against the Detroit Pistons during the second quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LOS ANGELES
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a big fan of Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, and for good reason.
Spoelstra, who’s Filipino American, understands the magnitude of the history that Nakase made by becoming the first Asian American head coach to win a WNBA title when the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday.
After all, Spoelstra became the first Asian American coach to win an NBA title in 2012.
“She’s simply amazing,” Spoelstra said of Nakase, with the Heat set to open its five-game West Coast trip on Monday night against the Lakers in Los Angeles. “I got to know her a long time ago when she was a video coordinator in college. And then we stayed in touch. She reached out to me and talked to me about just learning. I think she’s one of the great learners in this game. She’s relentless about trying to get better and improve. I love her humility. I love her path that she’s taken to get to there. She hasn’t skipped any steps. She’s literally one of the hardest workers in this profession.”
Nakase, a third-generation Japanese-American, was named the 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year in her first season as the Valkyries head coach before leading the Valkyries to the championship this year in her second season in the position.
Nakase also has some NBA experience, becoming an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers in 2017. She was promoted to become a player development coach for the Clippers a year later before heading to the WNBA in 2022.
“I’ve admired her for a long time for her stamina, for her fortitude, for her relentlessness,” Spoelstra continued on Nakase. “And she’s an amazing human being. I root for her all the time. We haven’t actually been in touch the last couple years or so, but I’ve still followed her. … I’ve really respected her. She inspires me. She really does. The way she’s grown and improved inspires me to stay with that kind of growth mindset.”
All eyes on Luka
With Lakers star Luka Doncic entering Monday’s matchup against the Heat averaging a league-high 37.7 points per game and taking a league-high 13.5 three-point attempts per game this season, Spoelstra made clear after Monday’s morning shootaround at UCLA that it will take a collective effort to slow Doncic.
“There’s not going to be two defenders on him, or even three,” Spoelstra said. “You’re pretty much going to go through your entire roster of different looks. You have to have fresh bodies. You have to have multiple guys wanting to step up to the challenge and having that mental and emotional toughness to stay the course. Like I said, they’ve been putting up points relatively easily. They’re a great shot-making team, but you can’t let that affect your effort and focus.”
Behind Doncic, the Lakers enter Monday with the NBA’s second-ranked offensive rating this season. The Heat enters the week with the league’s 26th-ranked defensive rating this season.
“He‘s off to a historic start to his season,” Spoelstra continued on Doncic. “He’s healthy. He looks like he’s in terrific shape. If you want to get a win in this building, you’re going to have to do some ridiculously tough things defensively and try to make it as tough as you can on those guys. And it’s not just him. The guys around him really fit.”
Entire roster available
Heat guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was listed as questionable for Monday’s game and did not travel with the team Sunday to Los Angeles because of personal reasons. But Hardaway was at the team’s morning shootaround Monday at UCLA and has been upgraded to available for the Heat’s game against the Lakers.
Two-way contract players Tre Donaldson and Vlad Goldin also rejoined the Heat in Los Angeles and are listed as available for Monday’s game after a quick stint with the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The entire Heat roster is expected to be available against the Lakers.
The only Lakers player ruled out against the Heat on the back end of their back-to-back set is Adou Thiero (knee). The rest of the Lakers’ roster is expected to be available for Monday’s game after they defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
This story was originally published November 2, 2026 at 4:56 PM.
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Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.