Doris Burke - The Voice
BASKETBALL - BROADCASTER - ANALYST -
POINT GUARD - PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
NAISMITH HALL OF FAMER
ARCHETYPE: THE VOICE
Day 108/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Doris Burke is a baller in every way imaginable. A high school standout on her basketball team, she headed to Providence College to play point guard from 1983-1987.
As a freshman, she led the Big East in assists. She was a two-time All-Big East selection and made the all Big East tournament team twice. In 1987, Burke was the Co-Female Athlete of the Year for Providence, leaving the Friars as their all-time leader in assists.
But Burke is even better known for what she’s doing for the game today. Burke has covered basketball games as a reporter and analyst for three decades.
She started her broadcast career in 1990 on radio and TV. She reported on Big East basketball and the WNBA, as the lead voice for the New York Liberty in the league’s early years. Then, Burke became a sideline reporter for NBA games for both ESPN and ABC.
In 2013, Burke became an NBA commentator. By 2017, she got promoted to an NBA game analyst for ESPN, the first woman to hold that post full-time. Last year, Burke made history yet again as the first woman to serve as a game analyst for the NBA Finals.
As a player, reporter, and analyst, Burke has done more for the game of basketball and for women as players and journalists than almost anyone. She’s been inducted into five different halls of fame. Like, who knew there were even that many halls. Where do they lead?
1999 - Providence College Hall of Fame
2004 - Inducted into Institute for International Sport's Scholar Athlete Hall oF Fame
2006 - New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
2006 - North Providence Hall of Fame
While Burke is still on the rise, breaking barriers and changing the face of broadcasting, she has already earned her flowers. In 2018, she was honored for her pioneering work and entered the Basketball Hall of Fame as the 2018 Curt Gowdy Media Award winner.
Character Archetype: The Voice
With her deep knowledge of X’s and O’s, the respect she’s earned from NBA players and coaches, and her wit and demeanor, Burke is one of the most beloved broadcasters in basketball right now.
Listening to DB call a game induces a peaceful, meditative state. Her voice is confident, steady, and velveteen. I think she has magical qualities. And she’s so damn GOOD at her job.
After 30 years covering basketball across the NCAA, WNBA, and NBA, her credentials and expertise are unassailable. So, the insecure dudes who want to throw pot shots at her because they don’t want women near the game? They get LIT UP in Twitter mentions. Don’t come at the queen. She has earned more respect and street cred than anyone.
Just ask Drake where he got his “woman crush everyday” shirt with Doris Burke’s face on it. Or Tobin Heath, who wore Burke’s name on the back of her jersey in a March 2019 game honoring the U.S. Women’s Team’s heroes.
The people love DB. And with a voice like hers, it’s impossible not to.