LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Sparks acquired Canadian guard Kia Nurse from Seattle on Wednesday along with the Storm's fourth-overall pick in April's WNBA draft. In exchange, the Sparks will send their 2026 first-round pick to Seattle.
Nurse, from Hamilton, Ont., signed as a free agent with Seattle last season and averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. She played all 40 games and made 20 starts.
The 27-year-old is a two-time WNBA champion and was named a league all-star in 2019.
“Kia is a versatile veteran guard who can play multiple positions and brings a toughness and physicality that will fit in perfectly with our team," Sparks coach Curt Miller said in a statement.
On the international stage, Nurse has represented Canada at two Olympics, leading the team with 13.0 points per game at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
She also won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, and helped Canada's senior women's team top the podium at the 2015 and 2017 FIBA AmeriCups.
In 2022, Nurse averaged 11 points as Canada made the women's World Cup semifinal for the first time since 1986 and ultimately finished fourth.
Nurse was drafted by New York with the 10th overall pick in 2018. She spent three seasons with the Liberty, including an All-Star game selection in 2019, before going to Phoenix in 2021. She injured her knee during the playoffs that year and missed the 2022 season before joining the Storm.
The addition of the draft pick also gives Los Angeles the second and fourth overall selections in the upcoming draft.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
The Associated Press
