Profound basketball announcer and current analyst for ESPN and NBA on ABC, Doris Burke, is set to visit Seton Hall University on Feb. 23, 2024.
She first debuted for ESPN in 1991 and rose to fame for her strong basketball knowledge. Her greatest accolades include being the first woman to serve as a TV analyst for a major men’s championship in the US, as well as her induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Burke has also been honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award, which is awarded by the Basketball Hall of Fame committee, and the 2017 WISE Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes extraordinary women who have significantly influenced the business of sports.
She has been a pioneer for women in sports media, as she was the first woman to commentate a New York Knicks game in 2000 and the first woman to be a sideline reporter for the NBA Finals in 2009. ESPN had their first all-women broadcast in 2022, which featured Burke on color commentary alongside Beth Mowins and Lisa Salters.
In August 2023, ESPN announced that Burke, Mike Breen, and Doc Rivers would make up their primary broadcasting team.
At the event, she will be speaking with former ESPN and Fox Sports commentator, Bob Picozzi, a Seton Hall alumnus. Picozzi was integral in connecting Burke with Seton Hall’s Center for Sports Media.
He served as the play-by-play announcer for the Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team from 1999-2012. The team won six championships during that stretch, being an integral part of a dynastic run.
The location of the event is still undecided. The Center for Sports Media has previously hosted notable guests, including Alex Rodriguez, Stephen A. Smith, and Billie Jean King.
Matthew Soetebeer can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu.
