Thursday, 16 April 2026

Doris Burke

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Basketball
Statistics & Accolades: Curt Gowdy Award
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
1x National Sportscaster of the Year
Doris Burke began her career calling women’s basketball games at Providence (her alma mater), and six years later, she began calling men’s games in the Big East. It did not take long for ESPN to notice her, and in 1991, she signed on with the mothership of sports broadcasting.

Burke methodically worked her way up to higher and higher-profile basketball games and had to break many a glass ceiling to do it. In 2017, she shocked the broadcasting world by becoming an NBA analyst on a national level, and in 2023, she took over as the primary announcer on the lead broadcasting team.

Burke's list of firsts has paved the way for women announcers not only in basketball but in all American sports.

We are proud to nominate Doris Burke for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.