The public is invited to a free event next weekend to meet the first Iowan to win a National Basketball Association (NBA) championship.

Carroll native Nick Nurse recently coached the Toronto Raptors to their first title, defeating the Golden State Warriors, and there will be an event to honor him at the Greene Room events center at Wild Rose in Jefferson. It will be held on Sunday, June 30th, with doors opening at 5pm and the program to start at 6.

Wild Rose Owner Gary Kirke and his wife Sue have been following Nurse’s career since Sue graduated with Nurse from Carroll Kuemper Catholic. Gary got involved in 2011 when Nurse became the first Iowa Energy head coach. Gary was an investor in the Energy, one of the NBA’s D-League teams, and Nurse led them to a league championship that same year. Gary says he saw great determination in Nurse when he was the head coach of the Energy.

“But it’s important to point out that this is a big story in part because no one gave Nick anything. He pushed and fought and demonstrated time and again that he was ready for the NBA, and he was ready to win!”

The “Nick Nurse’s Journey from Carroll to Toronto” event will include the voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes Gary Dolphin as the emcee, along with the Iowa Energy Founder Jerry Crawford and Nurse himself. The event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is necessary.