Kia Nurse

Family

Kia Nurse belongs to a highly accomplished sports family. Her father, Richard, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, played as a wide receiver and slotback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1990 to 1995. Nurse’s mother, Cathy, played university basketball at McMaster University. Nurse’s older brother, Darnell, was a first-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2013 and helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. He has played full-time with the Oilers since 2015 and was named to the NHL All-Star Team in 2021. Kia’s older sister, Tamika, played college basketball at the University of Oregon and at Bowling Green State University. Kia’s cousin Sarah Nurse won a gold medal for Canada in women’s hockey at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. And Nurse’s uncle, Donovan McNabb, was a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Childhood

Kia Nurse started playing basketball at age four. She also played soccer and ran in track and field while growing up in Hamilton. It was in basketball that she had the most success. By age seven, she was already playing in a competitive basketball league.

At 14, Nurse helped Team Ontario win the 2010 Girls’ Under-15 Canada Basketball National Championship. Team Ontario beat Team Quebec 72–50 in the gold medal game. Nurse was named the tournament’s most valuable player. A year later, she helped Team Ontario defend its title in Winnipeg, with a 76–59 win over Quebec in the gold medal game. Once again, Nurse was named tournament MVP. In 2010 and 2011, she received the Hazel Miner Award, which is presented to a player in the Under-15 Team Ontario women’s basketball program who upholds the finest qualities of sport in their pursuit of athletic excellence.

Nurse led her club teams to victories on a regular basis. She won three straight women’s high school basketball championships with St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton from 2011 to 2013, as well as seven straight Ontario Basketball Association titles with Hamilton Transway. In her final high school season, Nurse averaged 25.9 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 4.9 assists per game. Nurse then accepted a scholarship with the University of Connecticut.

University of Connecticut

Nurse played women’s NCAA basketball from 2014 to 2018. In 113 games, she averaged 11.8 points per game and scored 1,333 points overall. Her Huskies team won the 2015 and 2016 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships, while amassing a remarkable record of 76–1. In a 94–64 victory over Syracuse University on 20 March 2017, Nurse tied the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball tournament record for most three-pointers in a game with nine. Nurse was named the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, the 2017 ACC Player of the Year, and the 2018 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Team Canada

Kia Nurse represented Canada internationally for the first time at the 2011 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Mérida, Mexico. She was third in tournament scoring with 14.6 points per game, as Canada finished in third place and qualified for the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in Amsterdam. There, Canada finished in third place by beating Japan 84–77 in the bronze medal game. Nurse led Canada in scoring in five of their eight games, as Canada had its best ever result in the history of the tournament.

In 2013, Nurse returned to Mexico to play for Team Canada. This time, it was for the senior team at the FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Xalapa. Nurse averaged 10 points per game as Canada finished second behind Cuba. A year later, Nurse played in her first FIBA Women’s World Championship for Women in Istanbul, Turkey. She averaged 6.9 points per game as Canada finished fifth.

In 2015, Nurse represented Canada at two significant international basketball tournaments in Canada. At the Pan American Games in Toronto, she scored 33 points in the gold medal game, as Canada beat the United States 81–73. It was the first time that Canada won gold in women’s basketball at the Pan Am Games. Nurse was named Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. Later that same summer, at the FIBA Americas Women’s Basketball Championship in Edmonton, Canada won gold again and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Nurse led Canada with 13 points per game, including 20 points in an 82–66 win over Cuba in the gold medal game. She was named the tournament MVP.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Nurse led Canada with 66 points in five games. Canada reached the quarter-finals but lost to France 68–63. In 2017, Nurse averaged 10.5 points per game as Canada won the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Argentina. At the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup, Nurse scored 109 points, the third most among all players. At the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium, Nurse averaged 16 points per game, as Canada qualified for the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. Held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurse led Canada with 13 points per game. However, Canada was eliminated before the quarter-finals.

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WNBA

Nurse was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the New York Liberty in the 2018 WNBA Draft. As a rookie, she averaged 9.1 points per game and set a franchise record for most points in a game by a rookie and reserve player with 34. In 2019, her second WNBA season, Nurse averaged a career-high 13.7 points per game and was named an All-Star. She also set the record for most points scored in a single season by a Canadian in the WNBA with 465.

After reaching double digits in scoring average (12.2 points per game) again in 2020, Nurse was traded from the Liberty to the Phoenix Mercury on 10 February 2021. In 32 games in 2021, Nurse averaged 9.5 points per game with a career-high 3.5 rebounds per game.

Australia

In 2018–19 and 2019–20, Nurse played for the University of Canberra Capitals of Australia’s WNBL (Women’s National Basketball League). Each season, Nurse guided the Capitals to a WNBL Championship title. In 2019–20, Nurse was named the WNBL MVP.

Broadcasting

In 2020, Nurse joined TSN as a regular basketball analyst, when she is not playing in the WNBA or for Team Canada.