Former NBA guard Nik Stauskas is at peace with how his basketball journey unfolded, even if parts of it were far from what he imagined.
Appearing on the Fullcourt Passport podcast with Ric Bucher and Bostjan Nachbar, the eighth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft reflected on his NBA career, his EuroLeague stint and the decision to walk away at 29.
Stauskas, who played six NBA seasons and won bronze with Canada at the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup, said that tournament remains one of his biggest “what if” moments.
“I wish of all the things you said, I wish that the bronze medal with team Canada was it should have been a gold,” he said, recalling Canada’s semifinal loss to Venezuela that cost the team an Olympic berth.
He detailed battling severe food poisoning before that game in Mexico City. “I got the worst food poisoning that I have ever experienced in my entire life,” he said. “I tried to play that game… and just was like throwing up… essentially just like was of no use.”
The loss still lingers. “That’s one of the few games where I’m like damn I wish I could have that one back,” he said.
His NBA path brought different challenges, particularly early stops with rebuilding teams. Stauskas was part of a 10-72 Philadelphia season and played under three coaches as a rookie in Sacramento.
“I wasn’t used to losing and having it be so the energy being so negative all the time,” he said. “Playing in the NBA was the least fun I’ve ever had playing basketball.”
Constant movement also took a toll. “I think I played on 14 teams in eight years when you calculate EuroLeague, G-League, whatever,” he said. “It just was one of those things for me where I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.”
Still, his proudest moment came late. After nearly quitting during a 2022 G League stint, Stauskas erupted for 57 points one night and 43 the next.
“On March 1st, 2022, I was ready to quit basketball,” he said. Two days later, he had 100 points in 24 hours and multiple NBA offers.
Boston signed him to a two-year deal, and he returned to the league. “Making it back to the NBA… is my number one accomplishment,” he said.
His lone EuroLeague season with Baskonia also reshaped his perspective. “I think you could legitimately replace the bottom 200 NBA players with the top 200 players outside of the NBA,” he said. “The NBA product would maybe even be better… but it wouldn’t change or decrease by any means.”
He described playing at Panathinaikos as “the most wild environment I’ve ever seen,” noting the intensity compared to a typical NBA regular-season night.
Now working as a college basketball analyst for Big Ten Network and NBC, Stauskas says broadcasting gives him a similar rush. “When you hear on the headset like we’re live in three, two, one… you kind of get that feeling,” he said.
A decade ago, he could not picture life without playing.
“That time came and it was just so painfully obvious that I wasn’t enjoying it,” he said. “Two months went by, three months went by, I haven’t touched a basketball, and I was very okay with it.”
