Boston sports anchor Steve Burton discussing his daughter, Veronica Burton, after winning the WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award Photo Credit: WBZ TV in Boston
By Reice Shipley on

Typically, sports anchors don’t have too much investment in the stories that they report on aside from any standard fandom that they may have. But that was not the case for Steve Burton, a sports director and anchor at WBZ-TV, a CBS affiliate in Boston, on Monday night, who got the chance to publicly congratulate his daughter, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton, after she took home the WNBA Most Improved Player Award on Monday.

Burton made sure to make note of some of the other important sports stories ongoing in the area, including the Boston Red Sox postseason push and the New England Patriots Week 2 victory. But understandably, Burton first wanted to publicly share his support for his daughter’s major accomplishment

“There is a lot going on in the Boston sports scene right now,” said Burton. “The Pats coming off their first win of the season down in Miami. Red Sox in the middle of a playoff race after beating the Yankees. But the biggest story for me right now… Well, that’s an easy one, right? Veronica Burton was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player. It hits close to home because when she came home, she was cut by the Dallas Wings. When I went to her room, she was alone, reading her bible. And she looked at me and said, ‘Dad, when I get another shot, I’m going to give God glory even more.’

“Veronica, your Mom and I are so proud of you. But remember, you didn’t bounce back alone, right? You had the Coach of the Year in Natalie Nakase and her staff. They believed in you. Your teammates, that built you up and played with you. An owner that took a risk on you. And the best fans on the planet, that backed you. I know you won’t forget all that. But here on the East Coast, we love you as well. May God bless you, your teammates, and all of Valkyrie nation. And that my friends, is sports for now.”

Ahead of the Valkyries’ postseason matchup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Lynx, Veronica Burton was shown the clip of her father during a conversation with CBS Sports Bay Area Reporter Matt Lively. And as you would expect, she loved the gesture, calling it “very special.”

“That was really cute, that was really special,” said Veronica Burton. “Wow, it’s hard to put into words, that was really meaningful. It means everything to me. They are the reason I play basketball. My siblings, both my sisters, Kendall and Kayla. I play basketball because they played basketball. My brother, Austin, all of them just paved the way for me, my parents included. They are both going to be here tonight. So I am just really grateful.”

Unfortunately for the Burton family, the Lynx defeated the Valkyries 75-74 to win the series 2-0, ending the Valkyries’ season. But in defeat, Burton proved her worth once again to her teammates, leading all scorers with 13 points.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley