The 2023 WNBA season brings along new threads, teammates and joy for Kia Nurse.
The six-foot guard from Hamilton will be suiting up for the Seattle Storm Saturday when they take on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. It will be Nurse’s first season in the WNBA since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in 2021, costing her all of last season with the Phoenix Mercury.
“I think it's different when the game is taken away from you and you didn't have a choice in it, and that's exactly what kind of went down with me," Nurse told The Canadian Press. "So yeah, there's definitely a joy to it.
"When you become a professional athlete, a lot of stuff starts to weigh down the game and it becomes your job. And there's a lot of eyes and a lot of people with a lot of opinions and I had a whole year off from that.
"And I think that kind of rejuvenated me a little bit and gave me an opportunity to be the same kid that I picked up basketball with at four years old and just enjoy playing."
Nurse, 27, missed 11 months of action and returned to the court with the Canadian national team at the FIBA Women’s World Cup last fall, where Canada fell short in the bronze-medal game to host Australia.
She progressed through a minutes restriction and finished the tournament averaging 11 points per game.
“It was great to be able to come back. I think it was ambitious playing eight games in 10 days off an ACL (injury),” Nurse said. “Being able to kind of get that out of the way so that now coming into this season here, I don't have those restrictions on me was a big piece of that.
“And then just getting my feel for the game, I thought as the tournament went on I got better and I got more comfortable with how my body was moving and how my knee was feeling out there. And that was something that was big in terms of confidence.”
Nurse joins a Storm squad that saw star forward Breanna Stewart bolt in free agency for the New York Liberty, and guard Sue Bird retire after 19 years in the WNBA. The idea of a bigger role, after playing behind Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith in Phoenix, helped in her decision to sign with Seattle in February.
“I'm excited to just be back on the court,” Nurse said. “My biggest goal is to get through the season, obviously healthy, and then, you know, find my rhythm back in the game again.
“I'm in a role that would allow me to play a little bit more in space on the offensive end, knock down shots, be somebody that's relied on defensively as well.”
One familiarity for Nurse is playing for Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn, who serves as an assistant coach with Canada's national team.
“It's great that I was able to get the reps with her in Canada basketball just to learn who she is, how she works, her love for the game, her love for Canada,” Quinn said. “When she was an opponent and she played against the Storm, she would always torch us.
"Very capable scorer and can play on both sides of the ball. Very knowledgeable, high IQ, very, very good teammate. She fits our culture perfectly."
The role Quinn envisions for Nurse is a multi-faceted one.
“I'm wanting her to find her shots, find her spots and be a consistent playmaker and score for us," Quinn said. "The defensive end, just being solid every night, she might have to guard other teams' best wing or perimeter players.
"And then also, just a leadership role, she's a voice. She's been in this league … and so she knows what it's supposed to look like and so using her voice, being vocal on and off the court, making sure our group remains tight and sharp in our execution."
CANADIAN DELEGATION
There are four Canadians slated to be on WNBA rosters with the regular season scheduled to tip off on Friday.
Alongside Nurse will be Minnesota Lynx forwards Bridget Carleton of Chatham, Ont., and Natalie Achonwa of Guelph, Ont. Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., joins the group as a rookie for the Atlanta Dream.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2023.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press