Eugene “Gene” Nakamura passed away on July 4, 2026. The regional, state, and national championship banners in the Berkeley High School Donahue Gym tell only part of Nakamura’s story. “Look at the walls, this is what Nak did,” Herbert Miller, a close friend of Nakamura said during a memorial event held at the Donahue Gym on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
The Donahue Gym was nearly filled, as more than 200 gathered in person and online to honor Nakamura, was a longtime BHS basketball coach.
Nakamura spent over 30 years working for the Berkeley Unified School District in a variety of roles, including as a teacher at Thousand Oaks Elementary School and vice principal of Willard, Longfellow, and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle Schools. While many knew him as a basketball coach, his impact extended well beyond the court.
During the memorial, friends, family members, former colleagues, players, and students shared cherished stories and memories. Laughter and tears filled the gym as those who knew Nakamura reflected on the impact he had on their lives.
Born in 1944, Nakamura lived his early childhood in a Colorado Japanese internment camp and moved to Berkeley after World War II. He attended BUSD schools throughout his life and graduated from BHS.
In his time as the BHS girls basketball coach, Nakamura led the team to over 550 career wins, and to state and national levels.
But for Nakamura, coaching represented more than winning. Former players recalled Nakamura hosting SAT and entrance exam tutoring sessions for players after practice, encouraging them to take their education as seriously as their athletics. He frequently hosted team breakfasts, road trips, and even took one of his teams on a trip to Japan, creating opportunities for the team to bond outside of practice.
“His influence didn’t end when the season was over,” Tanda Rucker, a former player for Nakamura’s team said.
Nakamura’s commitment extended to improving Ethnic Studies in classrooms and advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Berkeley Unified School District. He believed in giving back to the community and regularly volunteered for several organizations throughout the Bay Area. He often volunteered at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, where he helped with events and shared Japanese history and culture with members of the community. Nakamura was also a frequent blood donor, donating over 100 pints of his blood to the American Red Cross in the last 10 years of his life.
For Chris Lim, a close friend of Nakamura, Nakamura’s treatment of others is what stood out the most. Lim said that Nakamura was “a steady and calm presence,” and looked past stereotypes and treated all, regardless of position, with respect.
More than $3,000 was raised and donated to a variety of Bay Area nonprofit organizations in Nakamura’s honor, continuing his tradition of community service.
Ka’Dijah Brown, Berkeley School Board President and former student of Nakamura during his tenure as the vice principal of Longfellow Middle School, spoke on the potential and capability Nakamura saw in youth. Brown explained that his support ranged from smiles and high fives in the hallways to conversations in the office when students were struggling or got into trouble. He reminded students that they held the power to change their circumstances, often saying that, “Attitude determines altitude.”
“He made a difference that lasts a lifetime. Nakamura saw the greatness in young people when they did not see it themselves,” Brown said.
Nakamura died peacefully with his family on July 4, 2026. His legacy can be seen throughout BUSD, in banners in the Donahue Gym, the students he mentored, the players he coached, and the friends he supported.
The memorial brought many of those people together in the same gym where Nakamura spent years coaching. Their stories and presence at the memorial showed that his work in BUSD was not limited to titles or wins, but also to the time he spent helping and supporting others around him.