Antonio Cornell Burks (born February 25, 1980) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) and Europe. At 6'0" (1.83 m), he played as a guard. Burks played at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, then one year at Hiwassee Junior College in

Madisonville, Tennessee Madisonville is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,577 at the 2010 census and 5,132 at the 2020 census. Geography Madisonville is located at (35.520691, -84.362905). It is situated alon ...

before joining the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

as an invited walk-on. He helped the Tigers win the NIT in 2002. His senior year he was named the Conference USA player of the year. After a career at the University of Memphis, he was a second round draft pick of the Orlando Magic in the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

. He was then traded to his hometown

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

in exchange for cash considerations.Burks bolts Grizzlies for Heat
/ref> Burks averaged three points in 24 games in his rookie season. After appearing in four games for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

during the 2006 preseason, he was signed by them on October 2, 2006.HEAT Request Waivers on Antonio Burks and Daniel Horton
/ref> but was waived on October 26, prior to the beginning of the

2006–07 NBA season The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the champions after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The first NBA draft under the ne ...

.Old Tigers still roaring
Burks later played with

KK Crvena zvezda Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда, ), commonly referred to as KK Crvena zvezda mts for sponsorship reasons or simply Crvena zvezda, is a men's professional basketball club based i ...

of the Serbian basketball league. He signed with

Lukoil Academic BC Academic Metropol Region ( bg, БК "Академик" Метропол-Рийджън) is a reestablished Bulgarian professional basketball club based in the capital Sofia. In April 2022, Academic has been reborn and rebranded by the new ow ...

in Bulgaria in August 2007.Lukoil Academic adds Antonio Burks
According to a eurobasket.com report, Burks was banned for a season from

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

, because KK Crvena zvezda had informed them that Burks had broken the rules of his contract by leaving 20 days earlier. On July 20, 2009, Burks was shot by a robber in Memphis. Burks underwent several surgeries and recovered in the hospital. The man who shot him was convicted of attempted second-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to 97 years in prison; he will be eligible for parole after serving 51 years. He had been released on probation for another crime only a month before shooting Burks. Burks became an assistant coach for LeMoyne-Owen College in 2010. Burks formed a lawn care business, Antonio Burks Star Maintenance and Lawn Services, in 2013.Antonio Burks winning with new business
/ref>

References

External links

*
Ex-Grizzlies guard Burks remains in critical conditionMan Who Shot Antonio Burks Sentenced to 97 YearsAntonio Burks winning with new business
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burks, Antonio 1980 births Living people ABA League players African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Bulgaria American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American men's basketball players American shooting survivors Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Czarni Słupsk players Hiwassee Tigers men's basketball players KK Crvena zvezda players LeMoyne–Owen Magicians basketball coaches Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Orlando Magic draft picks PBC Academic players Point guards Sportspeople from Memphis, Tennessee 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people