Girl Power Inspiration on the Court

Over the last quarter century the game of basketball has grown, with not only the talents of Canadian legend Steve Nash who is a 2 time NBA MVP, but the presence of Canada’s own team in the league, the Toronto Raptors. Regardless even when the Raptors struggled, countless youth were inspired that they could excel on the best stage in professional basketball. With over time now, Canada is overflowing with superb talented players, ranging from RJ Barrett, Tristan Thompson, Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Chris Boucher, and Lindell Wigginton from coast to coast. Now just like in hockey, we are starting to see the overflowing talent in Canadian women in basketball, as they excel in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). Canadian Kia Nurse is displaying talents on the court as the Hamilton, Ontario is excelling with the New York Liberty. Nurse who comes from an athletic family, as her brother is Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL and her father Richard was a wide receiver in the CFL. Kia is utilizing her family genetics to excel in the sport she loves, basketball as she has excelled right from high school while attending the local prep school St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in which she led the school to 3 consecutive titles while also playing for a club team called the Hamilton Transway in which she won 7 straight titles with the team, not bad before heading to college. With the now 23 year old and started to play basketball in 2000 at age 4, she had plenty of local options for role models in the game of basketball as Vince Carter was in his glory days with the Toronto Raptors and Steve Nash was excelling in Dallas, among other close and local inspirations to succeed. She went to the prestigious University of Connecticut Huskies where she won 2 NCAA titles in 2015 and 2016, despite the fact she had around 50 colleges and universities pursuing interests in her talents. After her college career she was drafted 10^th overall in the WNBA draft by the New York Liberty in 2018. Now in her second year with the team and playing more minutes, Nurse has averaged 16.2 points per game this year for the Liberty, as her talents have resulted in her playing in the WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas on Saturday. In addition to her time playing for the Liberty, Kia has played pro basketball in Australia with the Canberra Capitals and has for years now since being a teenager excelled playing for Canada’s National Women’s team, leading multiple national teams to medals over the years. With being named to the WNBA All Star Game, Nurse is the 3^rd Canadian ever to play in the event and the first in over a decade. With still plenty off years to play basketball, Kia Nurse’s career projection is only going to rise as her skills and expertise are going to be more respected among those in the game of basketball and the sports world. Even with giving her expertise as a guest analyst on TSN for March Madness this past March is an indication of that. True Canada was rejoicing with the fact that the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship last month as many children are currently looking to be the next great star in Raptors history, the potential and influence that Kia Nurse has to offer, which could result in having a WNBA team in Toronto and other parts of Canada in the future is quite something. True many Canadians are dreaming of reaching the highest levels of basketball, but young Canadian female players have girl power inspiration on the court with seeing what Kia Nurse has done. Just like Hayley Wickenheiser has done for Canadian women’s hockey and what Christine Sinclair has done for Canadian women’s soccer, Kia Nurse is on the verge of doing the same for Canadian women’s basketball. She is also set to be a pioneer in Canadian women’s sports and soon countless women in Canada will be destined to be talented pro basketball players. Look forward to your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments section.

Photo courtesy of TSN