OKC Thunder Trivia: uncovering 50 fun, surprising and random facts

47 of 51

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 13: The Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate as Deonte Burton #30 nailed a game ending tie-breaker against the Orlando Magic during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 13, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Deonte Burton is ready to prove himself.

In the offseason of 2018, the first two-way contract the OKC Thunder awarded as to Deonte Burton. And while he hasn’t the easiest path to the NBA, he’s expected to bring depth to both he OKC Thunder and OKC Blue rosters.

Born in Milwaukee, the now 24-year-old accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Marquette in 2013. After an arguably lackluster few years on the roster, Burton’s turned a new page during his senior year at Marquette. As a starter in all 35 games, he averaged 15.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. And, he ended up earning the 16th spot in th list of most steals by a Marquette Cyclone in a single season. By the end of the season, Burton had 60.

That year, Burton was named to the Second-team All-Big 12 and participated in the NABC’s Reese’s College All-Star game and the Portsmouth Invitational. In the 2017 NBA draft, Burton was not selected by any teams but did sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves before being waived during training camp.

After spending some time in South Korea on the Wonju DB Promy Korean Basketball League, he returned to the states for the Summer League.

Thunderous Intention’s writer Noah Schulte says:

"“When he finally got his chance to play in front of NBA scouts during Summer League, [Burton] took full advantage of it, averaging 10.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 3 assists on 59 percent shooting and even hitting a huge game winner. This came after the OKC Thunder signed him to a two-way deal and punctuated why the franchise made the offer.”"

Home/Thunder All-Time Lists