When Kia Nurse first joined the Los Angeles Sparks in a trade with the Seattle Storm ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, she was coming into only her sixth season in the league. At age 28, Nurse was old enough to have a good sample size of experience in the WNBA, while being young enough to not necessarily be considered a ‘veteran.’
But coming into the 2024 season with the Sparks, Nurse knew that her role was going to be different than in years past. She was going to be counted on to be more of a leader than she had been to this point in her career. Almost half of the Sparks roster this season was made up of rookies and second and third-year players.
Nurse admitted that she had to step out of her comfort zone a little bit in terms of being more vocal.
“I’m usually the kind of person who likes to lead by example, so kind of just like how I approach the games, the practices, the extra work and kind of how I carry myself off the court but also on the court is a big piece of my leadership style,” Nurse told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “And here. . .I’ve had to step up a little bit more on the vocal side of things and just speaking my mind and trying to say things when it’s needed, not necessarily just speaking to speak. That’s a big piece of it. A lot of it is keeping the energy and vibes high.”
To say this was a tough season for the Sparks is an understatement. They finished with a record of 8-32 and had three extended losing streaks of eight, seven and eight games respectively. They also went through quite a bit of adversity in terms of key players out of the lineup due injury and other health reasons.
Kia Nurse was able to play all 40 games for the Sparks this year. She was able to see that despite the losing, despite the shuffling lineup due to the absences, the team was getting better. They were growing, they were competing. The win/loss record didn’t necessarily paint a complete picture.
Situations like this aren’t necessarily new to Nurse though. Although her role has changed and she’s more experienced now, her first three years in the WNBA were spent with the New York Liberty who went a combined 19-71 during that time period.
“I think we do a good job of understanding that it is hard to win in this league day in and day out, especially when you’re in a season, a situation that’s kind of a building process. As someone who’s been a part of a lot of those teams and building processes, the losses can pile up easily and it can be hard to come to work,” Nurse said. “But that’s not what’s happened here at all. It’s been great, the locker room is held together. We got a great group of girls here who really genuinely care about each other on and off the court and that’s a big piece of it.”
Kia Nurse’s shifting on-court role for the Sparks
Kia Nurse began the 2024 WNBA season as the Sparks’ starting shooting guard. But during the second half of the year following the Olympic break, she moved into a bench role. In terms of on-court production though and what was expected of her, her role remained the same.
For Nurse, the difference between coming off the bench and being in the starting lineup isn’t much. It’s all about attitude and bringing the same energy regardless.
She was a starter with the Liberty which led to her All-Star selection in 2019. She was a starter during her lone season with the Phoenix Mercury, helping them reach the WNBA Semifinals before suffering an ACL injury in Game 4.
Last season with the Storm, she split an even amount (20 games apiece) starting and coming off the bench. But regardless of what role she’s tasked with, her approach to the game doesn’t change.
“My kind of biggest compliment I could get throughout the league, and something that I pride myself on, is just being a pro’s pro. Coming to work every single day with the same attitude, you get to choose the attitude that you want to come to work with. Coming in trying to get better every single day and understanding that I can play hard no matter what minutes I get,” Nurse said. “Bringing my leadership, making sure we’re communicating on the floor and being my kind of outgoing, goofy self, that’s something I’ve tried to stay consistent with throughout it.
“So if I get that compliment that I’m a pro’s pro, that’s the one thing that I try and strive for every single season no matter where I am.”
As far as her role on the court, Nurse is one of the better defensive rebounding guards in the WNBA and has become a consistent three-point threat. Throughout the season, she averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 33.1 percent from three-point range.
Earlier in the year, Nurse’s shot had eluded her a bit, but towards the end of the season, she was starting to knock down the three-ball with confidence again. She ended the year on a high note with back-to-back games of ten and 12 points, respectively. She shot a combined 6-of-12 (50 percent) from three-point range during those two games.
“Honestly, everybody on the outside will think about my shot more than I will. I go in and I get my shots and my reps up before and after practice. We work on a lot of drills that are just about consistency and having to hit a certain number in a row, and I do pretty well at those,” Nurse said. “Knowing my role right now is to come off the bench and be that kind of energy-giver, play hard every single shift, make the right plays, use my basketball IQ and then when I’m open, knock it down.”
With the Sparks season now over, they were able to end it on a high note with a win over the Minnesota Lynx. Kia Nurse now heads into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The Sparks also recently parted ways with head coach Curt Miller. What the future holds for Kia Nurse is uncertain. But what is certain is that she proved her worth with this young Sparks team.