Raptors coach Nick Nurse has a new acting role on TV
Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors might not exactly be living up to their preseason expectations on the court.
Losers of nine of their last 12 games and slipping fast in the Eastern Conference standings, Nurse’s name has been rumoured as potentially on the chopping block to turn the team’s fortunes around.
But off the court, Nurse is as involved as ever with the Canadian arts scene, with his latest TV cameo appearance coming up later this week.
The 2020 NBA Coach of the Year will be playing a police officer named “Nick Iowa” on Wednesday’s episode of Pretty Hard Cases, a crime show now in its third season on CBC.
His surname is a homage to his home state, where he spent the first two decades of his life before embarking on a professional playing and coaching career.
We're so excited about this slam dunk of a guest star! 🏀 The @Raptors Nick Nurse joins us in our season premiere this Wednesday at 9pm (9:30pm NT) on @CBC and @cbcgem! #PrettyHardCases #Season3 pic.twitter.com/Xw4ghOA4Ov
— Pretty Hard Cases (@PrettyHardCases) January 2, 2023
“When you get to be as experienced as me, you don’t make those mistakes,” one officer says in a teaser put out by CBC.
“I don’t really see it as a mistake, it’s more like a learning experience,” officer Iowa replies.
Raptors fans had a mixed reaction to the announcement, with many wondering if his days on set could’ve been better spent fixing his team’s on-court woes.
the last thing you see before you’re sentenced to 46 minutes a night https://t.co/DeK2fU7vji pic.twitter.com/fCBwt1DtiK
— alex (@him_robinson) January 3, 2023
The only case he needs to get on is the front office’ for why they gave him this trash ass roster man https://t.co/oEX6hBDOos
— Bail (@SB4PS43) January 3, 2023
Nick Nurse full time actor and guitar player
Part time basketball coach https://t.co/7jeS2QJQUZ
— Irtaza🦖👑 (@BigRingRaps) January 3, 2023
i don't want a cool interesting coach anymore please give me a boring one with no life and no hobbies just basketball 💔💔💔 https://t.co/YRJrTvlu9R
— pascal supremacy (@anunobysteam) January 3, 2023
But for Nurse, it’s all about having some enjoyment away from the court — with his scenes likely filmed in the NBA offseason or during a slow stretch for the team.
Outside of his brief acting gigs, Nurse has also honed his chops as a musician, playing his guitar in Toronto gigs alongside bands like Arkells and New Power Generation, Prince’s former backing band.
“These people call me up, and I say ‘sure, yeah, let’s go check it out.’ For me, it’s humbling. It’s fun; it’s an honour to do some of that stuff,” Nurse said of his appearance on Murdoch Mysteries last January.
The Pretty Hard Cases episode airs on CBC at 9 pm ET on Wednesday.
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