Doris Burke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Doris Burke
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Burke in 2011
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| Born |
Doris Sable
1964/1965 (age 59–60) |
| Alma mater | Providence College |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Gregg Burke
(divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | See below |
Doris Burke (born Doris Sable) is a well-known American sports announcer and analyst. She works for NBA on ESPN, NBA on ABC, and college basketball games. She used to be an analyst for WNBA games and has also covered New York Knicks games.
Doris Burke made history as the first female commentator to call a New York Knicks game on both radio and television. She also played college basketball for the Providence Friars. She finished her college career as the player with the most assists for her school.
Because of her important work, Burke was chosen to join the Basketball Hall of Fame. She received the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2018. In 2023, ESPN picked Burke for their top NBA commentary team. This made her the first woman to be a game analyst on TV for a championship final in a major North American men's sports league. This was for the 2024 NBA Finals.
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Early life and playing days
Doris Sable was born in West Islip, New York. When she was seven years old, her family moved to Manasquan, New Jersey. She grew up there as the youngest of eight children. Doris started playing basketball when she was in second grade. She looked up to basketball stars like Kyle Macy and Kelly Tripucka.
Burke played as a point guard at Manasquan High School. Many colleges wanted her to play for them. She spent her summers playing basketball and became well-known in her local area.
College basketball career
Burke went to Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. She played as the point guard for the Providence Friars women's basketball team for four years. During her time there, she averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game.
In her first year, Burke led the Big East Conference in assists. She was named to the All-Big East team twice, in 1986 and 1987. In 1987, she was also named the college's Co-Female Athlete of the Year. She was recognized as an All-American that same year.
When she left Providence, Burke was the school's all-time leader in assists with 602. She was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in 1999. She was the fifth woman to receive this honor.
At Providence, Burke earned a degree in health service administration. Later, she also earned a master's degree in education.
Broadcasting career
Doris Burke started her career in broadcasting in 1990. She began as an analyst for women's basketball games for her old college on the radio. That same year, she started working on Big East women's games for television. In 1996, she began covering Big East men's games too.
Burke has worked for ESPN in different roles since 1991. She has been part of ESPN's coverage of the WNBA. For many years, she was the main voice for the New York Liberty team on radio and TV. In 2003, she joined ESPN's men's college basketball coverage. She also started working as a sideline reporter for ESPN and ABC for their NBA games.
In 2000, Burke became the first woman to be a commentator for a New York Knicks game on both radio and television. She was also the first woman to commentate a Big East men's game. From 2009 to 2019, Burke was a sideline reporter for the NBA Finals on ABC. She also worked as an analyst for some regular season and playoff games until 2017.
In 2010, Burke became the new sideline reporter for the NBA 2K11 video game by 2K Sports. She has been in every game since, including the latest one, NBA 2K25.
In October 2013, Burke signed a new contract to continue as an NBA commentator for ESPN. In November, she started appearing on ESPN's NBA pre-game show NBA Countdown.
In 2017, Burke became a regular NBA game analyst for ESPN. This made her the first woman at the national level to have a full-time role covering NBA games. In 2020, Burke started calling the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio. This made her the first woman to call these major games on radio.
In August 2023, ESPN and ABC announced that Burke would join Mike Breen on their main broadcasting team. This made Burke the first woman to be a television analyst for a major men's championship in the U.S. She is also the first woman TV analyst for the NBA Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
Personal life
Doris Burke is divorced from Gregg Burke. They have two children together.
Awards and honors
Doris Burke has received many awards for her work and achievements:
- In 1999, she was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame.
- In 2003, she received the USA Today Rudy Award. This award recognized her as the Best New Face in Sports Television.
- In 2004, Burke was honored with induction into the Institute for International Sport's Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame.
- In 2005, Providence College gave her an honorary doctorate degree.
- In October 2006, Burke was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
- The same year, she became a member of the North Providence Hall of Fame.
- In January 2012, Burke received the Silver Anniversary Award from the NCAA. This award recognized her athletic and professional accomplishments.
- In 2012, Burke called the Big East tournament and was a reporter during the championship game.
- For her pioneering work, Burke was selected by the Basketball Hall of Fame. She won the 2018 Curt Gowdy Media Award.
- In March 2019, the women of the United States women's national soccer team honored her. Each player wore a jersey with the name of a woman they admired. Tobin Heath chose Doris Burke's name.
