Cierra Burdick has played basketball all over the world with some of the most legendary teams in the sport. Now she’s adding “Olympian” to her impressive resume. The #ENDALZ Athlete is going to the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics to represent the United States in women’s 3x3 basketball.
“After the time, investment and work that’s been put in over the last decade, this is kind of the pinnacle of it all. It’s the reason why you work so hard as an athlete,” she says. “This will be something that I cherish for the rest of my life. It’s such an honor.”
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native brings a wealth of experience to Team USA. Burdick spent her summers off from professional teams playing 3x3 and won two FIBA 3x3 World Cup gold medals. While the road to Paris hasn’t always been easy, she learned valuable lessons in perseverance and leadership from her grandmother, Jane Burdick, and her former coach, Pat Summitt — both of whom she lost to Alzheimer’s.
“They are a large part of my success as an athlete, but also as a human being because they taught me so many lessons, like how to carry myself, how to lead and how to love,” she says.
Leading by example
When Burdick was 5 years old, she announced that she would play basketball in college. In 2011, that dream became a reality when she committed to the University of Tennessee with Summitt — one of the winningest NCAA basketball coaches of all time. Burdick says that joining the team was a “blessing,” and Summit made a lifelong impact on the young player.
“The biggest thing I learned from Pat was her humility,” she says. “The way that she spoke to the president of the United States was the same way she was going to speak to the staff who cleaned up our arena after games. That was just how she carried herself every single day.”
When Summitt shared her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the Lady Volunteers rallied to support their coach, who was a mother figure to many of the players. “She publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's my freshman year. It’s sad because I didn't get to have Pat all four years,” Burdick says.
In 2016, Burdick was playing for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream when she heard that Summitt’s health was declining. She immediately flew to Knoxville, Tennessee, to say goodbye to her former coach with other Lady Volunteer players and alumni.
“I'm just so thankful that I had my Lady Vols family around me because I couldn't imagine going through all of that without them,” Burdick says. “So many Lady Vols were there from different decades. It was a testament to the sisterhood that Pat built. It didn't matter if you played in the 80s, the 90s or the 2000s, we all wanted to be there to celebrate her life and to share her last moments with her.”
During her visit to Knoxville, Burdick was cut from the Dream. While she was devastated by the news, there was a silver lining. “Maybe it was a blessing that I got waived. I went on to host camps in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia and had the honor of raising money for Alzheimer’s care, support and research,” says Burdick. “Thousands of dollars were donated on Pat’s behalf that I wouldn't have been able to raise if I hadn't been waived from the team.”
A legacy of love
Throughout the ups and downs of Burdick’s basketball career, one thing remained certain: the unwavering support of her family. Raised by a single mother, her grandparents played a pivotal role in her life. Whether it was a game at the local YMCA or a packed arena at the University of Tennessee, Jane was one of her biggest fans on and off the court.
“My nana was incredible. I don't think I ever heard her say anything negative about anybody my entire life, she was just a gem of a human being,” says Burdick. “She and my mom traveled everywhere to watch me play — she had a notebook where she’d keep my stats with her little mechanical pencil. Nana came to every game and tournament she could, from Charlotte to San Francisco.”
Everything changed when Jane was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019. Burdick was heartbroken to watch another loved one face the disease. “Pat is the one who introduced me to Alzheimer's — before then, I didn't even know what it was,” Burdick says. “And then my nana was diagnosed. It's just a brutal disease, and you kind of feel cheated. I had my nana until 2023, but I started losing her in 2019. I slowly but surely saw her become a shadow of herself.”
Burdick realized she couldn’t go through this experience alone, and she sought help to process the intense emotions that accompanied the loss of her grandmother.
“When you are going through Alzheimer's with a loved one, it's a constant roller coaster and you're losing them day by day,” she says. “Don't be afraid to get the support you need — for me, it was going to therapy, but there are support groups, too.”
Competing for gold
As Burdick prepares for her first Olympic appearance, she’s focused on bringing home a win for Team USA in women’s 3x3, and she plans to savor every moment. “We want to go out and perform as best as we can to bring home the gold, but also enjoy it along the way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she says.
The journey to Paris is filled with bittersweet emotions. She’ll have a large cheering section filled with family and friends, including her mom, Lisa, and brother, CJ. While Burdick is grateful to have a strong support system as she competes on the international stage, she misses her grandmother.
“When I got the news that I made the Olympic team it was such a joyful moment, and then I got in the car to head home and all I wanted to do was call my nana and papa. I just broke down in tears,” she says. “But my nana has the best seat in the house now and I know she's with me along the way. I try to find peace in that, but she's definitely missed every single day.”
No matter what happens in Paris, when Burdick returns home she will continue to follow her passion for basketball and her passion to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s.