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LA Sparks veteran Kia Nurse has raised concerns about the late-night NBA games, suggesting they should be banned. Nurse, who has been working as a basketball analyst for TSN since September 2020, took to Instagram on Saturday to share her thoughts.
The former New York Liberty player, who has been part of TSN’s NBA and WNBA playoff coverage, posted a message that humorously called for a ban on late starts. "10:30 PM GAMES SHOULD BE BANNED 😂," she captioned a post featuring her broadcast partner Leo Rautins.
Reason of the comment
Nurse’s comments came after the LA Clippers' 105-103 win over the Toronto Raptors, a game that began at 10:30 p.m. ET. As the home team, the Clippers secured the win at Crypto.com Arena, with James Harden and Norman Powell both scoring 24 points. Harden also grabbed 12 rebounds and added seven assists. Ivica Zubac contributed a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. For the Raptors, Immanuel Quickley and Ochai Agbaji led the way with 21 points each.
Nurse, who was covering the game for TSN, will need to stay up late again the following night to cover the Raptors’ game against the LA Lakers.
Kia's WNBA journey
In addition to her media career, Kia Nurse has been focused on her WNBA journey. After a one-year stint with the Seattle Storm in 2023, Nurse was traded to the LA Sparks in January 2024. She joined a young, rebuilding team featuring promising rookies like Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.
Nurse expressed optimism about her future with the Sparks, noting her personal drive to improve on her previous season's performance. “I’m excited about that and that opportunity to just be out here and get on the board and play better than I played last year. Ultimately I’m more hard on myself than anybody else could be possibly and I know that, so [I’m] giving myself a little bit of grace for last year but wanting to be a lot better than I was," she said in April.
Nurse career
During the 2024 season, Nurse appeared in 40 games, averaging 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 20.3 minutes per game. She shot 38.8% from the field and 79.3% from the free-throw line, contributing to the Sparks' 8-32 record. Nurse is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 unless the Sparks extend her contract before then.
