Doris Burke

Doris Burke is an American color analyst and TV reporter. She was born on November 23, 1965, in West Islip, New York, USA. Doris, the youngest of eight siblings grew up in Manasquan, New Jersey. She showed keen interest in basketball and started playing the game in the second grade.

Education

She studied at Manasquan High School and played as a point guard in the school team. Though several eastern colleges recruited her, Doris chose to go to Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island from where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in health service administration and social work. She went on to do her Master’s in Education. 

Career

Initially, the tall long-legged beauty was a basketball player who went on to broadcasting the game. Doris began her broadcasting career in 1990. It sort of a fluke opportunity. While Gregg, who later turned to be Doris husband, was broadcasting during a game, he was hit on the head by a ball. There was no replacement reporter at the match. Though she wasn’t a professional reporter, Doris filled in. It was a success and she started reporting professionally.

She started off as an analyst for women’s games on radio for her college. During this time, she filled the role of play-by-play reporter airing via WICE/WNPW Radio. Later on, she became an analyst for the women's basketball with the Penn State Network from 1993 to 1995.

She also was a television analyst for Big East women’s games. In 1996 she started doing Big East men’s games as well. She was the lead analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA games and is the primary radio and television voice of the New York Liberty since 1997. 

Since 2009, she is a sideline reporter for the NBA Finals for ABC Sports. In 2010 she featured as the new sideline reporter for 2K Sport’s NBA 2K11 video game and continues appearing in its following editions. Currently, she is a sideline reporter for ESPN college basketball, NBA on ESPN and NBA on ABC games. She reports at the pro level and college games of both men and women. In October 2013, Doris signed a multiyear contract with ESPN to serve as an NBA commentator and in November she debuted as ESPN’s commentator. This was done alongside accomplished male commentators like Jalen Rose and Avery Johnson. She also reports in live NCAA football games aired via ESPN networks. These included the men's' regular-season championship and the Champions Week, which analyzed the weekly game performances. She hosted the ESPNs Wednesday's commentaries during the NBA season on Kia NBA Countdown.

Burke not only performed the radio and television commentaries, she also wrote on the game. She was a frequent columnist for authoritative sports magazines like the Basketball Times magazine and the Eastern Basketball magazine. She utilized the web to nurture and develop growing sports talent though her contributions to the sports articles hosted on the Centre for Sports Parenting website.

Working with the ESPN/ABC-TV for the past eight years, Doris has been responsible for games analysis as well as in-game interviews with coaches.

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Her career has memorable events. Her interviews with coaches sometimes turn confrontational. A well-known coach's terse response to in-play remarks coupled with his combative character, downgraded an otherwise, exciting interviews. She is known to have mentioned later in the interview that she chocks her tears back to avoid sobbing due to her frustrations on getting good interviews going with such coaches.

As an exclusive interview with New York magazine, Burke also confessed to another incident where a Raptors coach showed her a love sign during one of the NBA tournaments. She has had several interviews on her evaluation of both the NBA and NWBA.

Doris reckons that the greatest NBA player of the generation is undoubtedly Le Bron. Her favorite, Most Valuable Player within the NWBA fraternity is Diana Taura., while her MVP in NBA is Clyde Drexler.    

Awards and Recognitions

While undergoing her studies, Doris participated actively in sports. She was a point guard at the college team. She spearheaded the Big East Conference team in assists. As a senior, she was one of the female team members co-feted as the Athlete of the Year. In 1999, her college recognized her athletic prowess by entering her in the College's Hall of Fame - her being the only fifth woman to attain this honor.

Doris holds the record for many firsts. She is the first female analyst to handle a New York Knicks game on both television and radio, the first woman analyst for a Big East men’s game, and the first woman primary analyst on a men’s college basketball conference package.

In 2004, Burke was immortalized by inclusion into the Institute of International Sports Scholars Athlete Hall of Fame. Other recognitions included an honorary doctorate degree from her Providence College as well as the New England Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2006.

She was awarded a Silver medal during the Anniversary Awards for her exemplary athletic and professional achievements by the NCAA.

Personal Life

Doris married Gregg Burke in 1990 and they had two children. Subsequently, the couple divorced. After the birth of her first child, Doris was a devoted full time mother. She credits her success to Gregg. Doris was considered a tomboy while growing up. She played aggressively and that is when Gregg saw. They started spending a lot of time together. Doris was the one who first asked him out for a beer one night. On Valentine’s Day in 1990, he got down on one knee and proposed to her. Soon after that married.

Despite her children being grownups now, she still is in tight contact with them. She texts her daughter - Sarah Burke all her funny moments during the sporting events. His elder child is a boy called Mathews Burke.

Doris does not share personal information with the media and likes to stay away from controversies. The reason for her divorce is not known and there is no talk of a boyfriend or an affair. Currently single, she is concentrating on her career. At the age of 50, she sure looks elegant and stunning.

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