2025 WNBA awards check in: Coach of the Year

Head coach Natalie Nakase has the expansion Golden State Valkyries in contention for a playoff berth. | Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images

Is it too early for 2025 WNBA awards talk? The halfway point of the season certainly seems like a fair time to begin conversations.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at who would be in the running for the Coach of the Year, if the season were done today.

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Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries)

Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images

Natalie Nakase.

Considering that the Golden State Valkyries are an expansion team, the fact head coach Natalie Nakase has them currently in the playoffs is astounding. She took players teams were willing to lose and turned them into a competitive roster that plays

cohesive and connected basketball.

It’s worth remembering that Nakase was far from a surefire thing. While she had assistant experience in the WNBA and NBA, she had yet to be in charge of a professional basketball team in the States. Well, she has taken advantage of her opportunity and has been a perfect fit in Golden State. If the Valkyries keep this up and make the playoffs in Year 1, it’s going to be hard to vote against Nakase.

Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury)

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Nate Tibbets.

With Brittney Griner gone and Diana Taurasi retired, this looked like a rebuilding year for the Phoenix Mercury. Tibbets, however, didn’t get the memo.

The second-year head coach has the Mercury sitting at the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings and looking like a legitimate title contender. Tibbetts has also optimized Alyssa Thomas, helping her reach an MVP-level this season.

Sydney Johnson (Washington Mystics)

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Sydney Johnson.

Winning with rookies in the WNBA is usually an impossible task. But, head coach Sydney Johnson has somehow managed to do that with the Washington Mystics in 2025. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are shining as first-year players, both earning All-Star honors.

Washington has gone from being near the bottom of the WNBA standings for multiple years to now sitting above .500 on the season. While Johnson isn’t the only reason, he’s found a way to help Washington outperform even the most optimistic predictions.

Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx)

Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images

Cheryl Reeve.

The Coach of the Year award rarely goes to the person in charge of the best team. That seems silly to me. The point of basketball is to win games, and the head coach is judged largely on that basis.

All Cheryl Reeve does is win. Even though the Lynx were projected to be this good, there’s something to say about meeting that standard. Napheesa Collier is putting up MVP numbers, and Minnesota has been the team to beat all season long. So far, only four teams have done it across 23 games—and Reeve is a big reason why.

That might not be enough for voters to give Reeve another Coach of the Year award, but if her work helps the Lynx win the WNBA title that eluded them last year, I doubt she’ll care.

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