The 75th season of the NBA has not only been historic for Mexico due to Juan Toscano’s participation in the NBA All-Stars dunk contest and his subsequent qualification for the playoffs, but also because Blanca Burns left her first marks in the league of the best world basketball.
In December 2021, Blanca Burns became the first Mexican referee in an official NBA gamein the duel between the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz, and has already been present in Lakers games, so that although a dream has been fulfilled, there are many other goals to achieve.
Who is Blanca Burns?
Blanca Burns She is originally from Torreón, Coahuila, where the main sports are soccer and baseball. Basketball has also been present, although in a classification, the burst sport is the third most practiced in La Comarca lagunera.
Since she was little she was related to basketball and the taste for this sport grew in the United States. His family moved to El Paso, Texasa destination where hundreds of people from this region move, legally or illegally, in search of better life opportunities.
“Since I was a little girl I always had a basketball in my hand. I played basketball at all levels of the school”he recalled on ESPN.
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His life changed in Oklahoma
Some time later, she and her family moved away from the border to settle in Oklahoma, where he attended college at Mid-America Christian University, to which he arrived thanks to his talent in basketball. He played point guard and played two seasons in the NAIA.
To cover expenses, she ventured as a referee in preschool children’s leagues, where he was paid $25 per game. In one day she could direct up to four games, for which she earned up to 100 dollars in one day, however, what began as a way to cover expenses, became a passion that has taken her to the NBA.
Her evolution as a referee took her from the NCAA, to the WNBA and the G-League, until finally reaching the NBA on December 27 at that game between Spurs and Jazz.
In that duel, Gregg Popovich, the legendary San Antonio coachangrily demanded certain decisions and although it is shocking to see a coach of that caliber in a state of boiling, Blanca was armed, because in his preparation he faced parents of high school childrenwhich in his opinion, are more ferocious.
Getty Images
Getty Images
“They are quite fierce and do not stop, so putting myself in those intense situations at the lower levels has helped in the NBA.”he indicated.
Blanca Burns’ next goals
Blanca does not have a full-time contract as a referee in the NBA. She belongs to a group of nine referees who stand by when the full-time roster of officials can’t keep up, so in her first NBA season she appeared in eight games.
In them he has had to bring at least one game of the Lakers to good terms, so that he has coincided with LeBron James. However, his role as a referee is not to be impressed with figures.
“Seeing LeBron and Ja Morant there and being on the pitch with them is something I will never forget. At the same time you realize that you are there to do your job, so you control your emotions”, Indian.
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With these experiences, his goal is to continue accumulating experience in the NBA and earn a full-time place in the league that is made up of 75 referees, of which six are women, meanwhile combines his work in the G-League.
Another objective is represent Mexico in the Olympic Games as a referee and the dream could be fulfilled in Paris 2024. In addition to her role as a referee, Blanca often gives talks to high school girls to inspire and motivate them to pursue their dreams.
Can you imagine her as part of the team of judges in the return of the NBA to Mexico after the pandemic?
