Pat Burke

Patrick John Burke (born December 14, 1973) is an Irish former professional basketball player who is currently the men's basketball head coach for Beacon College. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three seasons between 2002 and 2007, for the Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns. To date, he is the only Irishman to have played in the NBA. He also played in Europe, mainly in Greece and Spain, before ending his career with Asseco Prokom Sopot. He was a co-captain of the senior Ireland national team and also represented his country at the World University Games.

BornDecember 14, 1973 (age 52)

Dublin, Ireland

Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)

Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)

High schoolMariner (Cape Coral, Florida)

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Pat Burke
Personal information
Burke with Asseco Prokom Sopot in 2009
Born	(1973-12-14) December 14, 1973 (age 52) Dublin, Ireland
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school	Mariner (Cape Coral, Florida)
College	Auburn (1993–1997)
NBA draft	1997: undrafted
Playing career	1997–2009
Position	Center
Career history
Playing
1997–1998	TAU Cerámica
1998–2001	Panathinaikos
2001–2002	Maroussi
2002–2003	Orlando Magic
2003–2004	Gran Canaria
2004–2005	Real Madrid
2005–2007	Phoenix Suns
2007–2008	Khimki BC
2008–2009	Asseco Prokom Sopot
Coaching
2025–Present	Beacon College

Career highlights
EuroLeague champion (2000) 3x GBL champion (1999–2001) Liga ACB champion (2005) Russian Cup winner (2008) PLK champion (2009)

Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

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Early life

Burke was born in Dublin, Ireland.^[1] Burke and his family moved from Tullamore in Ireland, to Cleveland, Ohio in the United States when he was three years old.^[2]

Burke played high school basketball at Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida. He played college basketball at Auburn University with the Auburn Tigers from 1993 to 1997.

Professional career

NBA

After not being drafted out of Auburn University in 1997, Burke became the first Irish-born player in NBA history when he signed a contract with the Orlando Magic in 2002.^[3] He played in 62 games with them, averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He did not play in the NBA during the 2003–04 NBA season, or the 2004–05 NBA season. In his return to the NBA, he played for the Phoenix Suns for two seasons. He was also in training camp with the Golden State Warriors in 2007 before being released.

Europe

Burke was a EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos in the 1999–00 season and he also helped the "Greens" to win three consecutive Greek League titles from 1999 to 2001. In Europe, he also played with the Spanish clubs Tau Ceramica, Gran Canaria and Real Madrid, and with Maroussi in Greece. He helped Real to the final of the ULEB Cup (now called EuroCup) in 2004 and to the Spanish League title in 2005.

In November 2007, Burke signed with Russian club Khimki^[4] and helped the team win their first Russian Cup title. Burke averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 211 career games played over all of the different European leagues that he competed in. In 2008, he moved to the Polish club Asseco Prokom Sopot^[5] and he helped the team to win the league's title.

Coaching

Pat Burke was named the new men's basketball head coach at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida in March 2025. Burke succeeds Sam Vincent, who coached the Beacon NaviGators/Blazers from 2022 to 2025 and helped the athletic program achieve USCAA membership. Burke has had ties with Beacon College since 2015 when he pitched the idea to begin a summer program at the school for Saudi and other international students. He is also the director of athletics.^[6]