“Dead coach? yall serious?”: WNBA fans sigh over bizarre font faux pas in announcing Valkyries' new coach

WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries’ head coach Natalie Nakase would have been in for a shock if she had seen the graphic posted on the UCLA Women's Basketball account on Friday. The graphic, meant to celebrate Nakase’s appointment, stirred a wave of reactions online due to a blunder in font style.

The graphic featured two photos of Nakase: one in a full black outfit and the other in her UCLA uniform. Below these photos, the text "head coach" was displayed, followed by her name and the Valkyries logo.

However, such was the way the font went up that instead of "head coach," it ended up looking different than intended, which led many to read "dead coach."

Somewhat predictably, the fans on social media took issue with it after spotting the bizarre font choice, which left many thinking they could have done a better job.

One X user, formerly known as Twitter, wrote:

“Please change the font.”

Another fan tweeted:

“I know it is supposed to say "head,” but it totally looks like "dead,” and her being in the clouds doesn’t help not one single bit.”

One user joked:

"Omfg, she hasn't even started the job yet and she's already gone. My condolences, fr. RIP the legend.”

A fourth one fumed,

"Guys. This is a bad graphic."

While another quipped,

"The worst possible font they could have chosen and then mutually approve of wtf.”

Another fan said,

"This looks like it says “dead coach” Graphic design could use some work."

Nakase previously worked as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces. She joins general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and president Jess Smith in leading the Valkyries.

The Valkyries will debut in the 2025 season and will have their first opportunity to select players in the league's expansion draft on December 6th.

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Valkyries GM explains why Natalie Nakase is the perfect fit for the coaching role

When asked by The Athletic to explain in detail what Ohemaa Nyani saw when she reviewed Nakase, the GM highlighted her exceptional qualities, recalling her initial meeting.

“She is extremely driven,” Nyanin said. “She’s a unifier. Through the interview process, she had a focus on surrounding herself with a diverse coaching staff that would be able to develop and maintain trust for all of our future athletes. She’s a poised, hard worker.”

The appointment marks Nakase’s first foray into a head coach position for a WNBA team. Nakase has already bred success. The former Bruin has coached in Germany and Japan, worked for the LA Clippers, and won two titles with Becky Hammon in Las Vegas.