In the first game of the Korean stage in seven years, “MVP” Deonté Burton (30, Busan KCC Egis) proved his class and led the opening game to victory.
Burton played 40 minutes full-time in the opening game of the 2024-2025 KCC professional basketball against Suwon KT Sonicboom at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on the 19th, scoring 40 points, 16 rebounds, and two assists and four steals to lead his team’s 77-72 victory.
Although it was only one season, Burton has made a strong impact in the KBL. During the 2017-18 season, Burton played an average of 31 minutes and 5 seconds in 54 games with 23.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He contributed to his team’s regular season win along with the MVP of a foreign player that year.
Since then, Burton has continued his NBA challenge through a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and built his career by playing in the NBA’s G League and Puerto Rico League. And before this season, he signed a contract with KCC in August and returned to the KBL for the first time in seven years.
Burton faced difficulties even before the opening of the season. MVP duo Song Kyo-chang had finger surgery and Choi Jun-yong had sole injury, making it difficult to play in the early days of the season. On top of that, Tyler Davis, who needed to share his playing time with him, was kicked out right before the opening of the season. Leon Williams, a substitute player, was unable to play in the opening game due to visa issues.
KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin said, “Burton said he would play for all 40 minutes, but he should replace it while looking at the situation.” As for Burton, he said, “You will get good results only when you don’t get greedy, concentrate on team play, and show your play. It is important whether you play while covering the shortcomings of defense.”
After struggling for a while in the early part of the first quarter, Burton scored a layup after a bold breakthrough in the middle of the first quarter, and soon regained his form. In the second quarter, Burton accounted for a large portion of the team’s offense. Burton scored a whopping 20 points in the second quarter alone, both inside and outside. Thanks to his performance, KCC finished the first quarter tied at 12-12, widening the gap by more than double digits in the second quarter.
Burton continued to display stellar performance in the second half of the game. He provided scoring every time his team was chased by him, paving the way for him to run away. When Burton allowed the team to turn the tables 60-62 in the fourth quarter, he immediately tied the game and scored additional points by inducing the opponent team’s foul operation through decisive defense in the last minute.
After the victory, KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin praised, “Burton led the team well,” and teammate Heo Woong also said, “I can feel his sincerity and desire to win basketball.” Heo Woong said, “I’m a player who played in the NBA, so I’m trying to learn a lot and help him. He is nice and communicates well outside the court.”
Burton, who met with reporters after the game, said, “I’m grateful to all the team members,” adding, “There are some injuries, but thanks to the support of the team members, I got a good performance.” When he said he was not shaken even in the face of the opponent’s intensive checks, he said, “I fought through my physical strength in the game as I grew up. It was the same today,” adding that he was used to it.
Without Choi Joon-yong and Song Kyo-chang, Burton has to match Lee Seung-hyun. “From the first time I met Lee Seung-hyun, I felt that a natural chemistry would be formed,” Burton said. “There are so many versatile players that I think everyone will boost their productivity.”
Is there anything you have changed compared to the MVP season seven years ago? Burton asked back, “Do you think my performance has changed?” and then said, “I tried to grow outside the court.” “I gained experience. Basketball has to repeatedly perform similar things, so I continued to train myself to grow,” he said.
Burton, who is the MVP of the KBL and has NBA experience, confessed, “I’ve never won a championship in my basketball career.” He said, “I don’t need any other awards, but I really want to win this time.” 토토사이트
