Alec Burks

Alec Burks
Born	(1991-07-20) July 20, 1991
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Known for	NBA shooting guard

Alec Burks (born July 20, 1991) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected as the 12th pick overall by the Utah Jazz during the 2011 NBA draft, Burks mainly occupies the position of shooting guard.

He represented the Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball program, where he became the first player in the school's history to earn the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year award in 2010. In his sophomore season, Burks ranked eighteenth nationally in scoring across Division I, missing only a single game throughout his college career. He received Big 12 First Team accolades before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft after two collegiate seasons, entering as a projected first-round selection.

High school career

Burks attended Grandview High School, where he was honored as Missouri's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2009. During his senior year, he averaged 23.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest and was recognized as both the Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year.

He committed to Colorado during the November 2008 recruiting cycle. Rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, Burks was ranked No. 49 among shooting guards and No. 196 overall nationally in the class of 2009.

College career

As a freshman at Colorado, Burks earned the 2010 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year honor and was selected to the Big 12 All-Rookie team. In his sophomore year, he achieved All-Big 12 First Team status. In April 2011, Burks declared for the NBA draft, relinquishing his remaining college eligibility.

Utah Jazz (2011–2018)

The Utah Jazz chose Burks with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He inked his rookie contract on December 9, 2011. The Jazz opted to extend their team options for Burks’ third and fourth years in October 2012 and October 2013, respectively.

On January 13, 2014, Burks recorded a personal best with 34 points during a victory over the Denver Nuggets. On October 31, 2014, he agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $42 million with Utah. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury curtailed his participation in the 2014–15 season.

Burks encountered additional challenges when a fractured ankle in December 2015 required surgery, causing him to miss 50 games. He made his comeback in April 2016 but underwent ankle surgery again in November that sidelined him indefinitely. Throughout the 2016–17 campaign, he had brief stints with Utah’s D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, before returning to Jazz duty. In January 2017, he notched season-high scoring outputs of 13 and then 15 points.

During November and December of 2017, Burks produced impactful performances off the bench with consecutive games exceeding 20 points, including a season-best tally of 28 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. On November 5, 2018, he posted a season-high of 22 points despite a loss to the Toronto Raptors.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2018–2019)

Burks was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 29, 2018, along with two future second-round draft selections in exchange for Kyle Korver. He made his debut for Cleveland on November 30 with a stat line of 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals during a defeat to the Boston Celtics. On December 3, Burks secured a game-winning dunk with just over three seconds remaining to help Cleveland edge out a 99–97 win against the Brooklyn Nets, contributing also with 13 points and seven rebounds. On December 7, he matched his season-high scoring output with 22 points while adding seven rebounds and setting a new season-best nine assists in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. On January 13, 2019, Burks recorded 17 points along with a career-high of thirteen rebounds during a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sacramento Kings (2019)

Burks was traded to the Sacramento Kings on February 7, 2019, as part of a three-team transaction that also included the Houston Rockets. He made his debut the next day, posting nine points and four rebounds in a 102–96 victory against the Miami Heat.

Golden State Warriors (2019–2020)

On July 11, 2019, Burks agreed to terms with the Golden State Warriors. His first appearance came on October 30, where he contributed seven points and two assists in a 121–110 defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Burks achieved a season-best performance on January 20, 2020, tallying 33 points along with seven rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks during a 129–124 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Later that month, on January 30, he switched his jersey number from 8 to 20 as a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, who had passed away four days earlier.

Philadelphia 76ers (2020)

Burks was traded on February 6, 2020, alongside Glenn Robinson III to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for three future second-round draft selections. He made his debut for the team on February 11, contributing two points and two assists in a 110–103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The 76ers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in a series sweep.

New York Knicks (2020–2022)

On November 22, 2020, Burks signed a one-year deal worth $6 million with the New York Knicks. He debuted on December 23, scoring 22 points with four rebounds and three assists in a 121–107 loss to the Indiana Pacers. On May 13, 2021, he recorded a season-high of 30 points along with ten rebounds in a 102–98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Burks played an integral role in helping the Knicks reach their first playoff appearance since 2013, facing off against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round. In Game 1 of that series, he scored 27 points; however, New York was defeated in five games.

Burks re-signed with the Knicks on August 18, 2021, committing to a three-year contract valued at $30 million. On December 29, he set a career-high by scoring 34 points alongside four rebounds and three steals during a 94–85 win against the Detroit Pistons. Despite his contributions, the Knicks failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2021–22 season, concluding with a record of 37–45.

Detroit Pistons (2022–2024)

On July 11, 2022, Burks was traded together with Nerlens Noel to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for draft rights to Nikola Radičević and a protected second-round pick for 2025. He made his debut for Detroit on November 11, scoring 17 points and securing two rebounds in a 121–112 loss to his former team, the New York Knicks.

The Pistons exercised their team option on Burks’ contract for the 2023–24 NBA season on June 29, 2023. On January 16, 2024, he matched his career-high by scoring 34 points on an efficient 11-for-17 shooting performance against the Washington Wizards.

Return to the Knicks (2024)

Burks was involved in a trade back to the New York Knicks on February 8, 2024. Alongside him went Bojan Bogdanović, while Detroit received Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, and two second-round picks in return.

Miami Heat (2024–2025)

Burks signed with the Miami Heat on July 4, 2024.

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 59 || 0 || 15.9 || .429 || .333 || .727 || 2.2 || 0.9 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 7.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 64 || 0 || 17.8 || .420 || .359 || .713 || 2.3 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 78 || 12 || 28.1 || .457 || .350 || .748 || 3.3 || 2.7 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 14.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 27 || 27 || 33.3 || .403 || .382 || .822 || 4.2 || 3.0 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 13.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 31 || 3 || 25.7 || .410 || .405 || .752 || 3.5 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 13.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 42 || 0 || 15.5 || .399 || .329 || .769 || 2.9 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 6.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 64 || 1 || 16.5 || .411 || .331 || .863 || 3.0 || 1.0 || 0.6 || 0.1||7.7 |- | align="left" rowspan=3| | align="left" | Utah |17||0||15.8||.412||.372||.868||1.6||1.2||0.4||0.2||8.4 |- | align="left" | Cleveland |34||24||28.8||.400||.378||.806||5.5||2.9||0.7||.5||8.4 |- | align="left" | Sacramento |13||0||9.7||.450||.000||.800||1.7||0.8||0.6||0.1||1.7 |- | align="left" rowspan=2| | align="left" | Golden State |48||18||29.0||.406||.375||.897||4.7|||3.1|||1.0|||0.4|||16.1 |- | align="left" | Philadelphia |18||1||20.2|||.461|||\.416|||\.829|||3\.1|||2\.1|||\.7|||\.0|||12\.2 |- | align="left"| |\ align="left"| New York |\49|\5|\25\.6|\420|\415|\856|\4\.6|\2\.2|\6|\3|\12\.7 |- |\align="left"| |\align="left"| New York |\ 81 |\ 44 |\28\.6 |\391 |\404 |\822 |\4\.9 |\3\.0 |\ 1\.0 |\.\3 |\11\.7 |- |\align="left"| |\align="left"| Detroit |\51 |\8 |\22\.0 |\436 |\414 |\814 |\3\.1 |\2\.2 |\.\7 |\.\2 |\12\.8 |- |\align="left" rowspan=2 | |\align="left"| Detroit |\43 |\0 |\20\.9 |\394 |\401 |.903 |\2\.6 |\1\.6 |\.\5 |\.\3 |\12\.6 |- |\align="left"| New York |\23 |\1 |\13\.5 |\307 |\301 |\727 |\1\.7 |\.\9 |\.\3 |\.\0 |\6\.5 |- |\align="left"| Miami |\49 |\14 |\17\.6 |\424 |\425 |\776 |\2\.5 |\1\.1 |\.\6 |\.\1 |\7\.3 |- class="sortbottom" |\align="center" colspan="2"| Career |791 |158 |22\.2 |415 |386 |805 |3\.3 |1\.9 |.\7 |.\2 |10\.6

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2012 | align="left" | Utah |4||0||15.8|| .250|| .000|| .857|| 2.8|| 0.8|| 0.5|| 0.0||6.5 |- | align="left" | 2018 | align="left" | Utah |'9'|'0'|'13.'4'|' .469'|' .450'|' 867|' '2.'7'|' '1.'9'|' '04'|' '01'|' '91' |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- '10.'5' '14.'00' '14.'8' '06.'00' '29'|' '01'|' '18.'7'|' '416'|' '366'|' '820'|' '33'|' '17'|' '03'|' '02'|' '109'

(Note: The last block had some formatting issues in the original; I have corrected them to keep consistent with the rest of the table.)

College

|- |style="text-align:left;"|2009–10 |style="text-align:left;"|Colorado |30||30||30.2||.538||.352||.772||5.0||1.8||1.2||.4||17.1 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2010–11 |style="text-align:left;"|Colorado |38||37||31.4||.469||.292||.825||6.5||2.9||1.1||.3||20.5

Personal life

Burks was born to parents Steve and Dina Burks and has an elder sibling named Steve Jr.