Kia Nurse Bio: Net Worth, Salary, and Professional Career

Kia Nurse has accomplished much in whatever time she has spent in the WNBA after entering while not hailing from traditional US roots. She was not at the top of her draft class, yet she is only the third Canadian so far to have made it to the league. The Los Angeles Sparks guard has even made a place in the hearts of basketball fanatics as she has also been to the All-Star game in just six years of exposure to the league.

How did she climb her way up the world of basketball from Canada? Also, even if she did it, which performances put her on the minds of the fans during the time she has spent in the league? Let’s move ahead with it.

Kia Nurse's Early Life

Kia Nurse was born on February 22, 1986, to Richard and Kathy Nurse in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has been playing with the Canadian national team for a while as a guard. However, along with her national commitments, she is also a Los Angeles Sparks guard, a team she joined just a year ago. Before that, she had played for three different WNBA teams. She has been a consistent player, as her playing time and number of games that she is playing are increasing year by year on different rosters.

Kia Nurse Personal Information

Kia Nurse does not have a long history of playing in the league. However, to go through her playing history, let’s go through the basic features and early life of the Sparks guard.

Kia Nurse Personal Life

The athletic ambiance that got the best of Kia Nurse at an early age came from her father, Richard Nurse, and mother, Kathy Nurse. Apparently, both of her parents have an athletic background. Her father played in the Canadian Football League, while her mother, Kathy, was a basketball player at McMaster University. It seems Kia took inspiration from her mother’s inclination and developed a knack for basketball. Thereafter, she joined St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School for early education.

Basketball was an integral part of her high school as she took gold at the AAAA OFSAA Championship in 2012 and 2013. Looking at Nurse’s early career from an analytical perspective, she was a talented baller from the start.

Kia Nurse Parents

Kia Nurse has come from a sports-oriented family that had a large influence on her current level of accomplishment. Her father, Richard Nurse, was a professional football player who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played as a wide receiver and slotback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the early 1990s. Because her father was a professional athlete, Kia was able to see the commitment and discipline needed to succeed in high-level competitive sport. Her mother, Cathy (or sometimes Kathy) Nurse, was also an athlete herself; she played collegiate basketball at McMaster University.

Kia Nurse's parents were holding her accountable and demanding that she pursue sports from the day she left the hospital. Her older brother, Darnell Nurse, is an NHL player for the Edmonton Oilers. Her cousin, Sarah Nurse, is a player on Canada’s national hockey team. Growing up in such a competitive and supportive family has given Kia a winning mindset and the tools to know how to deal with pressure. Family influences are one of the main reasons behind Kia's success. Kia continues to be very close with her family and often mentions them as one of the strongest pillars of her life.

Kia Nurse Boyfriend

Kia Nurse's boyfriend is John Robinson IV. But despite the amount of conversation they have generated within the fan community, the details surrounding their romantic relationship and relationship discussion has not been validated via any formal or legitimate media coverage. John Robinson IV has some reputation in college football from being a college athlete at the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State. While the couple has been photographed together on at least a few occasions, Nurse was open about Robinson's position as a support in her recovery from a major knee injury.

While it seems they both are relatively private about their relationship, they have each formed positive expressions of each other, especially the times they may have supported each other when they were both going through difficult times in their own professional careers. The two remain functioning together as they continue to get notoriety for their thoughtfulness.

Kia Nurse Contract

Kia Nurse is currently under contract with the Chicago Sky for the 2025 season. She signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks before the 2023 season, and the deal paid an average annual salary of $142,500. This contract covered the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and after the 2024 season ended, she entered free agency.

Before the 2025 season, Nurse signed with the Chicago Sky, which showed a new phase and opportunity for Kia to re-establish herself as one of the top guards in the league.

Kia Nurse's contracts are a reflection of her being a valuable two-way player; she is a scorer, perimeter defender, and competitive leader. WNBA contracts do not have the same dollar amounts as the NBA, but Kia's current contract places her in the middle range of player salaries.

Kia has also earned money from overseas contracts, especially in Australia's WNBL, which included winning MVP and championship teams. The established contracts show steady progression in Kia's career and how teams value Kia as a person and player. After the 2025 season, Kia will be able to renegotiate her contract or pursue international opportunities again. Following her experience, leadership, and brand, it is likely she will continue to gain contracts for both leagues as well as broadcasting contracts.

Kia Nurse Salary

As of the 2025 season, Kia Nurse is making just under $142,500 each season. This salary is based on her two-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, signed in 2023, which is the average mid-tier WNBA contract. Kia may not be the highest paying player on the roster, but she is a consistent, reliable player who can fit on every roster in any league.

Kia has made an abundance of money playing overseas in addition to her WNBA salary, with her international production particularly well when she was hooping in Australia for WNBL, given her MVP status while there. This also includes additional earnings for serving as a basketball analyst for TSN in Canada. Collectively, these income opportunities provide Kia with a lifestyle that is comfortable and further an insurance to her finances at the same time.

Kia Nurse's salary is reflective of Kia Nurse's worth as a smart player, with experience, prioritizing the team before self, which contributes to clutch and in each role as a leader on the roster.

Kia Nurse Net Worth

As of 2025, Kia Nurse's net worth is estimated to be $1 million. This figure includes her earnings from her WNBA contracts, international playing career, endorsements, and broadcasting roles. However, it is just a rough estimate as per the salary installments of Kia Nurse. This is a breakdown of her stats related to her net worth.

Kia Nurse Career

She started at St. Thomas More in Ontario, where she quickly established herself as a standout. Her performance caught the attention of UConn, one of the premier college programs, and she didn’t disappoint, earning two NCAA championships, a reputation for elite scoring, and defensive prowess.

From there, she was picked 10th overall by the New York Liberty in the 2018 WNBA Draft. Since then, she’s built a resume that includes stints with the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, and, most recently, the Chicago Sky in 2025. Her experience isn’t limited to North America either; she’s competed in Australia’s WNBL and has been a key presence for Team Canada on the international stage, including Olympic competition.

Kia Nurse High School Career

Kia Nurse experienced a high school career of success and development. She played at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario, where she led the school team to three straight OFSAA championships. She was impossible to miss on the court; demanding attention with her scoring, her leadership, and her competitive nature. In addition to her high school basketball experience, Kia also played with the Hamilton Transway Basketball Club, where she captured seven provincial championship titles as well. The success she was having on the court in high school and with Transway was noticed by U.S. college scouts, and she got her chance to represent Canada with the U-15 and U-17 national teams, where she started her experience competing on the international court. Her early success with basketball helped her develop both physical skill and mental toughness. The success she was having on the court was preparing her to compete throughout the athletic calendar, and she was building a reputation as a clutch player and a born leader. By the end of her high school career, Kia Nurse became one of Canada's elite young basketball players.

Kia Nurse College Career

Freshman Year:

• Played in all 39 games for the Huskies and earned a place in the starting lineup in all but three contests
• Her 399 points marked the 10th-highest total by a UConn freshman
• She was one of five Huskies to dish out over 100 assists, and her 108 helpers represented the ninth-highest total of any Husky freshman
• Tallied out a career-best nine assists against only one turnover while scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting in the regular-season finale victory at USF on March 2

Sophomore Year:

• The only team member to start every game for UConn, Nurse was fifth on the team at 9.3 points per game and was one of four Huskies to accumulate at least 100 assists
• Scored in double-figures 15 times, including a season-high and career-high tying 20 points against East Carolina on February 6. She was 8-11 from the field, including 4-7 from long range, to go along with four assists against the Pirates
• Best performances generally came against ranked teams, as Nurse averaged 12.3 points and shot 56.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc against ranked opponents

Junior Year:

• She led the league in free-throw percentage at 85.5 percent and was fourth in the conference with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6-to-1.
• Nurse concluded the NCAA Tournament with 22 made three-point field goals, which established a new record for a single NCAA Tournament
• Scored in double-figures 20 times and posted a career-high 33 points in only 27 minutes of playtime in the win over No. 15/14 DePaul on December 1.

Kia Nurse's stats during her college basketball career are mentioned below:

Kia Nurse Professional Career

Kia Nurse is not an excellent player who hoards the number on the court. Rather, she loved to play the part and accumulated the flow of the game amid chaos.

She entered the WNBA in 2018 as the 10th overall pick for the New York Liberty, and right out of the gate, she was contributing double-digit points as a rookie, making it clear she was a valuable asset. By her second year, her stats climbed to nearly 14 points per game, and she was named a WNBA All-Star starter in 2019.

She is consistently managing the offensive and defensive responsibilities as a guard, as per the ESPN data:

Kia Nurse Awards and Achievements

Kia Nurse’s resume in basketball? Honestly, it speaks for itself. She’s a proven champion, starting way back in high school, dominating at UConn, stepping up in the WNBA, and making a real impact with Team Canada. She’s not just putting up numbers, either. She leads, she adapts, she competes at the top level, and she earns respect from everyone on the court.

But let’s be clear: her influence extends far beyond the scoreboard. Kia’s leadership and presence are recognized throughout the industry. People trust her judgment. She sets the standard for professionalism and commitment, both on and off the court.

Below, you’ll find a detailed list of Kia Nurse’s awards and accomplishments, highlighting her consistent success in collegiate, professional, and international basketball.