On Tuesday, Former Michigan State Basketball standout Nick Ward signed a contract with the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s (CEBL) Vancouver Bandits for the upcoming 2023 season. Ward is currently playing for Al-Najma in the Bahrain Premier League.

The 6-9 forward was a key piece on the Michigan State Basketball team from 2016 to 2019. He was part of the MSU team that won the Big Ten Tournament in 2019 over the University of Michigan.

Ward averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks through three seasons with the Spartans. He started in 80 of his 104 games played throughout his collegiate career. In the 2018-19 season, he was named to the All-Big Ten team. The Spartans made a Final Four appearance in that season, falling to Texas Tech.

After Michigan State, Ward went undrafted. He signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks to play on their Summer League roster. After Summer League, Ward appeared in four games with Fethiye Belediyespor of the Turkish Basketball First League. He averaged 22 points and 6.2 rebounds through those four games.

He signed with the Hawks’ G-League affiliate College Skyhawks for the 2019-20 season. In 34 games played, Ward averaged 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. His biggest game came against the Grand Rapids Drive where he posted 22 points and 18 rebounds.

After one season in the G-League, Ward returned to Turkey where he signed with the Instanbul Basket. In March of 2021, he signed with the Ottowa Blackjacks of the CEBL. He averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14 games with the Blackjacks. He was named to the All-CEBL First Team. In October of 2021, he signed with Básquet Coruña of La Liga Española de Baloncesto in Spain.

Nick Ward is excited to get to work with the Vancouver Bandits

Throughout his career, Ward has played in some of the world’s best basketball leagues. Ward is excited about the opportunity to help lead the bandits this upcoming season.

“The Vancouver Bandits are assembling a great roster for this summer and I am excited to help take this group to the next level. I have heard nothing but awesome things about the fanbase and I am ready to get to work,” Ward said.

Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius said he likes how Ward’s game will blend with the rest of his roster.

“Big Nick is a powerful player with tremendous instincts around the rim. Nick’s game complements our shooters and I am really excited about immersing him into our system,” Julius said.

The Bandits tip off the 2023 CEBL season on May 27.

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Featured Image Credit: © Lansing State Journal

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