New York Liberty: Kia Nurse proudly represents Canada basketball
As the Toronto Raptors bring an NBA title to Canada, New York Liberty guard Kia Nurse continues to represent the country proudly in the WNBA.
The New York Liberty has finally seen a reversal of fortune after winning three out of their last four games heading into Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Sky. One of the catalysts for the turnaround has been the emergence of second-year player Kia Nurse lifting the team offensively.
The former Connecticut Huskies standout has been a consistent force to begin the 2019 season. Nurse notched two 26 point games against western conference powerhouses the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx each ending in Liberty victories. After eight games (all starts) Nurse is averaging 15.4 points per contest up from the 9.1 a season ago along with more field goal attempts (10.6) than last season (7.5).
Nurse is also a member of the Canadian national basketball team and competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The United States would eventually win the gold medal in the summer games as Nurse led Canada in playing time and scoring, averaging 11 points per game.
The Hamilton, Ontario native strongly supported the Toronto Raptors during their championship run against the Golden State Warriors. The Raptors four games to two victory made league history as it was the first time the NBA title had been won outside of the United States.
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Before the start of this season began, Nurse spoke with media about the impact of basketball in Canada.
"“It’s huge,” Nurse said. “It’s funny because in America you have so many teams in so many places so everybody’s like, ‘I like wherever I live.’ In Canada, you only have the Raptors, and for a long time they’ve been on the rise. We’ve seen the Vince Carter effect. That’s who I watched growing up. And now it’s continually getting better. We’re having more kids play in the NCAA and more kids come out and make statements on their teams. We’re no longer just there. They know who we are. They know we’re Canadian, and that’s really exciting for us.”"
Current NBA draft prospect and possible New York Knicks selection R.J. Barrett is also from Canada and is another example of Nurse’s point. Basketball is no longer considered just a United States game as talent continues to thrive around the world, and finally, Canada is getting its recognition.
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The Liberty hope to keep the positive momentum going as the All-Star break quickly approaches next month in Las Vegas. The inspired play recently from Nurse could see her possibly end up there as well representing Canada and the Liberty.