{"id":899825,"date":"2026-10-30T11:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/899825\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T11:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:08:13","slug":"newtons-veronica-burton-is-one-of-the-wnbas-feel-good-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/899825\/","title":{"rendered":"Newton\u2019s Veronica Burton is one of the WNBA’s feel-good stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newton South\u2019s Lions featured two daughters of WBZ sports guy Steve Burton, which makes them the granddaughters of the late Ron Burton, the first player ever drafted by the Boston Patriots. Kendall Burton<\/a>, a junior, was on her way to becoming a scholarship baller at Villanova and her freshman sister, Kayla, would wind up playing at Lehigh before coming back to Boston<\/a>, where she\u2019s now\u2019s a sports anchor\/reporter at NBC Sports Boston. <\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t tell you who won that game \u2014 Jackie reminded me that it was Westford \u2014 but my lasting memory is one of a little girl who spent the night practicing her handle on a side court. It was hard to miss 9-year-old Veronica Burton. It\u2019s not often you see a little kid running up and down a court, casually and skillfully dribbling a ball in each hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember those days,\u201d Veronica\u2019s mom, Ginni, recalled this past week. \u201cThere was one night when a coach from Villanova was scouting Kendall and I heard the coach say, \u2018Newton South should put Veronica into this game.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\"VeronicaVeronica Burton (third from left, on ground with basketball) poses with older sister Kendall’s Bay State Jaguars team.Courtesy\/Burton family<\/p>\n

Ginni was an All-America swimmer at Northwestern before marrying Steve and starting their family of superstars. (Son Austin played quarterback at Purdue and UCLA.) She\u2019s a fitness instructor and aqua personal trainer when she\u2019s not flying from Atlanta to San Francisco for the WNBA Finals, which conclude Saturday night in the Bay Area<\/a>, where Veronica Burton\u2019s Golden State Valkyries play the Atlanta Dream in Game 7. <\/p>\n

The WNBA turned 30 this year and there was considerable embarrassment<\/a> when the league played Game 6 of the Finals (an 80-69 Dream victory<\/a>) at 12:30 Thursday afternoon in Atlanta. Saturday night\u2019s finale will cap a season of controversy owed to culture wars, national anthem protests, leadership incompetence, and a faux Fox News-driven narrative insisting that the league\u2019s mean girls are bullying popular superstar Caitlin Clark.<\/p>\n

Emerging from all that emotion, exhaustion, and debate, we have the feel-good, All-American story of Veronica Burton, a young woman of New England sports royalty who\u2019s earned a place at the top of her sport with hard work, determination, and selfless leadership.<\/p>\n

\"VeronicaVeronica Burton (with clipboard) at age 11 with her middle school travel team.Courtesy\/Burton Family<\/p>\n

Burton\u2019s path to the WNBA Finals was paved with potholes. After a four-year career at Northwestern, where she spent a lot of time guarding Iowa sensation Clark, Burton was drafted seventh by the Dallas Wings in 2022. She didn\u2019t get a lot of playing time in two seasons, was waived in May 2024, then was signed by Connecticut<\/a>, starting only one game in the \u201924 season.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d already played professionally in Poland and Australia by then, not content with her place in the league. A chance to play in Israel was aborted by the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had signed a contract with Israel and was a little late getting over there,\u201d recalled Ginni Burton. \u201cHer flight was scheduled for Oct. 7, and she had checked her bag. I woke up and saw awful images on my phone, but at the time no one really knew the scope of that day. Veronica didn\u2019t want to break her contract, but as the day unfolded, it was pretty clear we didn\u2019t want her to get on that plane. That was heavy. She was able to get out of that contract and instead played in Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the 2024 season, Burton was selected by the Valkyries in the WNBA\u2019s expansion draft<\/a>. She\u2019s been the starting point guard for every game in the history of the two-year-old franchise. She had only two turnovers in 75 minutes in Golden State\u2019s Game 4 and 5 victories. She canned three daggers in the closing stretch of Game 4, finishing with 13 points and five assists. She had 13 points with eight rebounds and four blocks in Game 5. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think she\u2019s the best point guard right now in the league,\u201d said Burton\u2019s coach, Natalie Nakase.<\/p>\n

Now she\u2019s one win away from a championship. Game 7. Saturday, 8 p.m. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it,\u201d Burton said after the Game 6 loss. \u201cThis is what we\u2019ve worked for … it\u2019s do or die officially.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Quiz: Name five Hall of Famers who played for the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the World Series to the Cardinals; 2. Name five NFL franchises with five or fewer playoff appearances since 2000. (Answers below.)<\/p>\n

\u22c5 A.J. Brown was held out of practice Thursday because of an ankle\/knee issue. Oh, boy. Here we go. The Patriots gave up a bundle to acquire the diva wideout, but haven\u2019t seen much impact. Brown sustained a high ankle sprain opening night in Seattle, missed four games, then came back with hands of stone in a couple of tepid performances against the Jets<\/a> and Bears. Now his status seems to be up in the air. Is he going to be another Jack Clark, Pablo Sandoval, or Gordon Hayward? Or do we see a breakout performance Sunday with a couple of TD catches in Miami?<\/p>\n

\"IsIs Sunday’s game against the Dolphins when Patriots receiver A.J. Brown finally breaks out?John Tlumacki\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

\u22c5 The Brewers<\/a> embarrassed the Rays, who swept the Yankees, who beat the Red Sox, 18-2<\/a>, in a two-game demolition. Does that tell you anything about how far the Red Sox are from being true contenders?<\/p>\n

\u22c5 There\u2019s much belief that the expected Dec. 1 lockout<\/a> will inspire a flurry of free agent deals in November. Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that your Boston Red Sox will not take part in any \u201cflurry\u201d of signings? The betting here is that the Sox will sit on the sidelines in November waiting for the lockout to begin, then explain to fans that their hands are tied because of the work stoppage. It\u2019s perfect cover for doing nothing to add payroll. It\u2019s more likely that the Sox will save a bag of dough when\/if Sonny Gray signs elsewhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 USA Today ranked the World Series winners<\/a> of this century and the 2018 Red Sox<\/a> (119 overall wins) finished No. 1. The 2004 Sox ranked fifth, the \u203207 Sox 10th, and the \u203213 Sox 20th. The \u201904 Sox won eight straight postseason games after their 19-8 loss in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. It was an MLB record at the time, but has since been tied by the 2005 White Sox, the 2014 Royals, the 2019 Nationals, and this year\u2019s Brewers. The Brewers missed a chance at nine straight when they lost Game 4 in extras<\/a> to the Rays on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 2018 Red Sox are No. 1 this century, at least according to USA Today.Stan Grossfeld\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

\u22c5 The defending NBA champion Knicks got off to an 0-3 start<\/a> before beating the Pistons in New York on Tuesday. The last NBA franchise to start 0-4 after winning the championship was the 1969-70 Celtics, who were quite different from this year\u2019s Knicks. The \u201969-70 Celtics were dealing with the retirements of Bill Russell and Sam Jones, who combined to win 21 rings, including 1969 when they finished fourth with a 48-34 record, then somehow beat the Wilt Chamberlain-Jerry West-Elgin Baylor Lakers in a seventh game (the \u201cballoon game\u201d) at the LA Forum. In October 1969, the Celtics ran it back with Hank Finkel at center and lost their first four before beating the Bucks. That team finished 34-48, out of the playoffs. Four years later, they were world champions<\/a> with Dave Cowens playing center.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Nick (Good Night) Nurse is the 76ers\u2019 17th coach since Billy Cunningham led them to their most recent NBA championship in 1982-83. The list of Sixer coaches who tried and failed includes Doc Rivers, the late Chris Ford<\/a>, and Maurice Cheeks, who was fired 23 games into his fourth season. Cheeks is now an assistant with the Knicks.<\/p>\n

\"NickNick Nurse is the latest coach attempting to end the 76ers’ championship drought.Charles Krupa\/AP Photo\/Charles Krupa<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Endicott\u2019s football team defeated Nichols, 86-0<\/a>, in Conference of New England action in Beverly last weekend. It was 51-0 at halftime. No word on if Geno Auriemma was in attendance.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Good luck getting tickets to Celtics vs. 76ers Nov. 10 in Philadelphia. Wonder if Philly\u2019s concessions will offer a lamb chop special<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 What would things be like around here if Boston University or Boston College got too big for the Beanpot? That\u2019s basically what\u2019s happened in Philadelphia, where college basketball\u2019s \u201cBig 5\u2033 has been a basketball tradition on a par with no other. Villanova simply got too big for the best annual college local hoops event in the nation. Since 1954, it\u2019s been a scheduling arrangement among Villanova, Pennsylvania, Temple, La Salle, and Saint Joseph\u2019s. Games were originally played at The Palestra, which opened in 1927. The Big 5\u2019s round-robin format was dropped in recent years and Drexel was added as a sixth member, but it\u2019s all going away next year because Villanova is simply too cool for the school tournament. A cold statement from \u2019Nova<\/a> read, in part, \u201cUltimately we must also balance what is in the best interests of Villanova basketball for success in the modern landscape of college athletics.\u201d Ugh. So starting next year the event will proceed without its most visible team. Something tells me this would not have happened if Jay Wright was still at Villanova. I\u2019m betting even the pope hates the end of the Big 5.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 USA Today has the Bruins third in its latest power rankings, trailing only Carolina and Edmonton. Connor McDavid and the Oilers visit the Garden Wednesday, Dec. 30<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ConnorConnor McDavid and the Oilers are off to a hot start.Melissa Majchrzak\/AP Photo\/Melissa Majchrzak<\/p>\n

\u22c5 The Sports Museum has put together another impressive lineup for its annual \u201cTradition\u201d event at TD Garden on Thursday, Nov. 19. Always one of the best nights of the Boston sports year, this year\u2019s honorees include Andre Tippett, Derek Lowe, Dana Barros, Jim Calhoun, and Boston Bruins\/Fleet Olympic gold medalists Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Megan Keller, Aerin Frankel, and Haley Winn. Presenters include MacMullan, Dante Scarnecchia, and Kemba Walker. For information and tickets, call (617) 480-4257 or visit sportsmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Honoring women in Boston sports who advance and provide community through mentorship, networking, and professional development, WISE (Women in Sports and Events) will host its Boston Women of Inspiration Awards Friday, Nov. 6 at the Hub on Causeway at 6 p.m. Previous winners include MacMullan and Kathryn Tappen. For tickets, visit boston.wiseworks.org\/home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 RIP to Ross Newhan of the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, the last word at MLB games in LA and Anaheim for 40 seasons, who died last Sunday at the age of 89. The press boxes at Dodger Stadium and the Big A were always a better place when Newhan was there.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Quiz answers: 1. Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Don Sutton, Robin Yount; 2. Cleveland Browns (three), Jacksonville Jaguars (five), Las Vegas Raiders (five), Detroit Lions (five), Arizona Cardinals (five).<\/p>\n

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy<\/a>.<\/p>\n