When Toronto Raptors fans think of Nick Nurse, they likely think of Nick Nurse since becoming head coach of the Raps in 2018. Sure, maybe some memories of when he was Dwane Casey’s assistant sprinkled in as well, but mostly from the Kawhi Leonard era and onwards. From his signature expressions of disbelief towards non-Raptors calls, to being doused in champagne following the franchise’s first NBA title, it’s been few years of great memories for Nurse and Raps fans.
What isn’t quite so front facing is the journey that brought Nurse into the spotlight of NBA coaching. While some coaches are groomed for positions within the NBA, Nurse’s journey was anything but normal.
Nurse’s head coaching journey began at just 23 years of age when he coached at Grand View University, becoming the youngest head coach in college basketball history at the time. From there, Nurse hopped around a bit, before heading overseas to coach in the British Basketball League for a number of English teams.
While there, Nurse was a player-coach for the Derby Rams where one of his teammates was Tim Lascelles. The shooting coach not only looked at Nurse as a coach and a teammate, however… he was also the babysitter!
Nurse would watch over Tim’s two sons at the time, Jamaal and Rema. If the name Jamaal Lascelles rings any bells, it probably means you’re a soccer fan, because he would eventually grow out of his need to be babysat and into a pair of soccer cleats, where he has since gone on to become captain of EPL’s Newcastle United.
Recently, Jamaal surprised his old babysitter, and the two caught up about the past, and their different journey through the world of sport.
It’s a small world, after all! It’s an especially small world when you narrow it down to those around the sports world, and it’s always cool to see connections like this that you may not expect.
(H/T NBA)
