When the Las Vegas Aces waived center Iliana Rupert during free agency ahead of the 2023 WNBA season, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last time she coached the French star.
Before Nakase became head coach of the WNBA’s newest expansion franchise, she was an assistant for three years under Aces head coach Becky Hammon, where she helped Las Vegas produce two WNBA championships. Rupert, who was selected No. 12 by Las Vegas in the 2021 WNBA draft, was part of the Aces’ first WNBA title in 2022.
Although Rupert didn’t produce gaudy numbers in Sin City, Nakase never forgot about Rupert’s IQ for the game, her international competition and her eagerness to be a student of the game. On Friday, Nakase reunited with the 23-year-old. Rupert was one of Golden State’s first four selections in the expansion draft, a move that does not come as much of a surprise considering the Valkyries’ desire to build a roster of players who can play defense, knock down three pointers at a high clip, play with a competitive edge and with good character.
“Iliana [Rupert] wanted to learn any and everything, and just to fit,” Nakase recalled about Rupert’s time with the Aces. “She’s like whatever you need coach, I’ll do it. We’re like, can you space the floor and lock up defensively? [Rupert] is like yep, I can do that. …Excited to reunite with her. When I said goodbye to her [in Las Vegas], I was like, ‘I guarantee you we’re going to work together someday’. Full circle.”
Rupert joins the Valkyries after playing one season for the Atlanta Dream in 2023 and electing to skip the 2024 campaign to put her focus on the French women’s national team in the Paris Olympics.
“I’m happy and so excited to be a part of the Golden State Valkyries,” Rupert said in a Valkyries’ team video on Monday. “I’m very honored and proud to have been picked in the draft. I cannot wait to go to work with the team and see you Valkyries fans very soon.”
What Rupert’s departure means for the Dream
Currently, Rupert is playing for the Turkish club Çukurova Mersin, where she’s averaging 13 points and 8.8 rebounds in EuroLeague play. When Rupert came to Atlanta, Dream general manager Dan Padover and former head coach Tanisha Wright both loved Rupert’s ability to space the floor, provide shooting versatility from beyond the arc as well as her ability to navigate pick-and-roll opportunities.
In Turkey, Rupert has thrived in scenarios where Mersin has integrated high-low sets with four players surrounding the perimeter with her in the middle as well as her running the floor and taking advantage of scoring opportunities beyond the arc.
Following Wright’s departure, Rupert would have fit into new Dream head coach Karl Smesko’s system, one that calls for a five-out system that generates tons of space for guards like Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada to attack the rim as well as playing at a high pace.
With Rupert’s departure and the franchise’s decisions for eight-time All-Star Tina Charles and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus undecided at this time, the Dream face some key decisions about the team’s frontcourt this offseason.
As things stand now, forwards Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey are under contract for 2025, Hillmon at $80,823, Coffey at $150,000 in a protected deal. Forward Lorela Cubaj and Maya Caldwell are both reserved free agents, meaning they both have less than three years of experience in the league and their contracts have expired. As a result, they can negotiate with Atlanta for another contract but they cannot receive a deal with another team unless the Dream releases them.
Changes will likely come within the roster as free agency approaches in a couple months. With Atlanta banking on Smesko’s coaching ingenuity, his ability to develop players and elevate the play of rotation pieces around the nucleus — Howard, Gray and Canada — of the franchise, having the right people in the frontcourt to create floor spacing, to defend and to establish an impact offensively will be key.
For more on the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft, read all our stories from our WNBA beats or listen to our analysis on the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast.
