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.

Early life Burke was born in Dublin, Ireland. Burke and his family moved from Tullamore in Ireland, to Cleveland, Ohio in the United States when he was three years old.

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. 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 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 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.

NBA Career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Coaching