Who Is Alec Burks? 6 Facts About The NBA Point/Shooting Guard

Quick Facts

Following the exploits of the Utah Jazz in the playoffs in recent seasons and the significant impact players like and have had on the team, fans and management alike would be hoping for some contribution from players like Alec Burks who on paper are the real deal but have failed to produce the goods when it counts. The 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft could himself argue that his career was hampered by injury and that when he is fully fit, he is always a force to reckon with.

Who is Alec Burks?

Alec Burks was born on the 20th of July, 1991 in Grandview, Missouri to Steve and Dina Burks. From a very young age, Burks exhibited outstanding basketball talent that always placed him ahead of his peers. He attended Grandview High School where as a senior, he was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri as well as the Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year.

6 Facts About The NBA Point/Shooting Guard

1. College Career

Alec Burks attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he played for the Buffalo men’s basketball team which competes in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. In his first year, he was named the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year as he also garnered Big 12 All-Rookie team honors.

The baller garnered All-Big 12 First-Team honors in his sophomore year before announcing he was forgoing his remaining college season to enter the draft.

2. NBA Career

Following his two-year college career, Alec Burks was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, Burks was unable to start a game but he featured in 59 games that season which was all from the bench as he averaged 7.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. In his second season, Burks averaged 7.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 64 games. The 2013-14 season proved to be a breakthrough campaign for the player after he averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in 78 games (12 starts). One of his most notable games that season came on the 13th of January 2014 when he scored a career-high 34 points against the Denver Nuggets.

Alec Burks looked to have picked up from where he left off as he was named a starter. He went into the 2014-15 season as probably the best player on his team but his season was however cut short as he only managed to feature in 27 games due to injury. He averaged 13.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in those games.

In the 2015-16 season, Burks again suffered another injury which ensured he missed 50 games. In the 31 games he played in that year, he averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. The shooting guard seemed to have run out of luck as he again suffered another injury in the early stages of the 2016-17 season where he featured in 42 games, averaging 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.

He returned back to his early career form in the 2017-18 season where he managed a string of 20-point games. At the end of the season, he averaged 7.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 64 games. He then played in 9 playoff games where he averaged 9.1 points and 2.7 rebounds.

3. Injury History

The Grandview, Missouri born basketballer’s battle with injuries began in his fourth season in the NBA when he suffered a shoulder injury. In the following season, he suffered a fractured left fibula which he opted to fix with a surgery. After that, it was knee and ankle injuries that also needed surgery although he still reported discomfort in them for a few more months before fully getting healthy again. Burks ended up only playing in just 100 games over three seasons due to these injuries he now hopes are a thing of the past.

4. Salary/Contract

Since 2014, Alec Burks has been earning an annual average salary of $10.5 million which makes him the 5th best-paid player on the team, as of 2018. He began earning this much after he put pen to paper to a four-year $42 million contract extension to stay with the Jazz. Before that, the guard was earning about $2.3 million each year as he was signed to a four-year $9.2 million contract that began running in 2011.

5. Body Measurements

Alec Burks has come a long way from the time he attended the 2011 NBA Draft Combine where his weight was registered at 193 pounds or 88 kg. In recent times, the basketball player‘s weight has been listed at 214 pounds or 97 kg. He further has a height of 6 feet 6 inches or 1.98 m with a wingspan of 6 feet 10 inches or 20.83 m.

6. Partner and Kids

Sometime in March 2017, Burks and his partner, Elyse Hart-Shelton welcomed a daughter who they named Ashtyn. The proud parents have since gotten engaged and are hoping to exchange vows in the near future.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.