Doris Burke is a well-known ABC/ESPN basketball analyst and sideline reporter. She was previously in a marital relationship with her ex-husband, Gregg Burke who is a golf coach and a former golfer. They are the parents of two children, daughter Sarah Burke and son Matthew Burke. 

At age 55, Burke is one of the top analysts covering the NBA. She has dedicated her whole life to basketball as an analyst and broadcast journalist. What makes Burke different than the other sports journalist out there is that she actually knows what she is talking about. Burke herself was a star athlete at Manasquan High School, and also engraved her name as a top career-assist player during her game days in Providence College. 

Doris Burke’s Impressive ESPN Broadcasting Career

The impressive career of sports broadcaster Doris Burke first began as a radio analyst for women’s games during college in 1990. That same year, she worked in the same role on the Big East Women’s games that was broadcast on television. Burke would later also go on to work for the Big East Men’s games in 1996. 

Burke’s foray into the big leagues started immediately once she stepped foot in the sports broadcasting game. In 1991, right out of graduation, Burke became a part of ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA. She also was the primary radio and television voice of the New York Liberty for several years after that. 

Doris Burke gushing about feeling lucky to be witnessing Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James play on ESPN

Doris became the first woman to be a commentator for a New York Knicks game on radio and television in 2000. In 2003, Doris began working the sidelines for ESPN and ABC for their coverage of the NBA alongside Dick Vitale. And since 2009, she has served as a sideline reporter for ABC Sports and NBA Finals.

Her resume also includes an impressive list of feats and awards that she has been honored with. In particular, she was named one of 15 Sports Ethics Fellows at the Institute for International Sport in 2002. And in 2004 she was inducted into the Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. 

Her latest honor was in 2007 where she won the  Woman of Excellence Trailblazer Award from the Rhode Island Women’s Center.

Doris Burke Knows What She Is Talking About

Born on 4 January 1965, Doris Burke was raised in Manasquan, New Jersey alongside her seven siblings. She started playing basketball from a young age looking up to her idols, Kyle Macy, Kelly Tripucka, and Tom Heinsohn.

The 52-year-old sports lover played as a point guard at Manasquan High School and was sought out by many eastern colleges, such as UMass, Boston College, Boston University, and Providence. 

She chose Providence and led the Providence Friars women’s basketball team as a point guard. She was the college’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year in 1987 as a senior and left the college with a career-high assist record. 

In 1999, Burke was initiated into the Providence College Hall of Fame, being the fifth woman so honored.

Young Doris Burke during her 1983 senior year at Manasquan High School

Doris Burke’s Son Follows Ex-Husband's Passion. Daughter Sarah Is A Law Student

Burke is married to Gregg Burke. He is the head coach of men’s golf at the University of Rhode Island. When Burke first married her husband, he was the deputy in the athletic department of Providence College, the college from where Burke herself graduated. While the pair have been divorced, they have two kids - a son named Matthew and a daughter named Sarah.

Her son shares his father’s passion for golf. In 2009, her son Matthew took part in his first-ever golf competition, to which his father showed a feigned concern about his prowess in golf. Currently, Matthew is currently the Assistant at Mike harbor indoor golf, as per his LinkedIn page. 

As for Burke’s daughter: she is a judicial law clerk to Judge Gary S. Glazer. Prior to her current stint, she was the judicial intern at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 2018.

Her son is 25 years old and her daughter is 27 years old as of now. 

Despite her children growing into adulthood, Burke shows no signs of stopping any time soon. In the 2017-18 NBA season, ESPN named Burke a full-time NBA game analyst for ESPN.

Even at the age of 55, Burke continues to cover the sidelines and cover the game of the NBA. After nearly three decades of covering the sports, Burke continues to dominate the broadcast game, something very few her age can boast about.Â