Scott Van Pelt pays emotional on-air tribute to late brother of NBA coach
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse was away from the team on Tuesday amid preparations for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals clash with the New York Knicks.
Just a day before the Sixers beat the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their first-round series, Nurse’s brother, Stephen, died unexpectedly.
While mourning his brother, Nurse oversaw his team complete a stunning turnaround against the Celtics, which forced Jaylen Brown to claim the referees had an agenda against him.
Philadelphia would lose the opening game of the Eastern Conference semis to the Knicks by a score of 137-98.
After the game, Nurse flew to Ankeny, Iowa, to attend the funeral service of his older brother.
At this immensely difficult time, the NBA has wished their prayers to Nick, including a touching tribute by legendary ESPN and SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt.
“We are all people, and we are all from somewhere. Nick Nurse is from Iowa and that’s where he was on Tuesday for the funeral of his brother Steve, who died unexpectedly last week at 62,” Van Pelt said on air on Tuesday.
“I didn’t know that had happened, I just saw a blurb about it, and for some reason I was drawn to this story.
“I found myself staring at the face of a man I didn’t know from Iowa.
“I learned that Steve met his wife, Laurie, working one summer as a lifeguard, about the time I was doing the same thing one summer during college.
“Read that he and Laurie had a couple of children, first a daughter and then a son and Steve worked for more than a quarter-century for his almer-matter as an athletic equipment manager.
“Known for his wit, and his ability to make everyone smile, he also had quite a talent for re-stringing baseball and softball gloves.
“His faith and his family were his bedrocks, and he loved cheering on his brothers Philadelphia 76ers.
“His brother Nick wasn’t making adjustments on Tuesday, he was with his family, saying so-long to a husband, a brother, a father and a friend.
“And that’s where I found my thoughts on a Tuesday afternoon, far away from the things that tend to occupy my mind preparing for this show, instead they were with a man I had never met, who was burying his brother.
“It wasn’t a blurb on a screen to the Nurse family, it was a real loss.”
Nurse is expected to return to the sidelines for Game 2 vs the Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Knicks head coach, Mike Brown, also passed on his best wishes after hearing the news of the loss.
“I’d like to pass my condolences along to Nick Nurse and his family, his brother’s family and all their friends,” Brown said, via ESPN.
“Life is precious and you don’t wish that upon anybody, so I’d like to pass along my condolences to him and his family while they’re going through these times.”
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