Rae Burrell

Rae Burrell (born June 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers after attending Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, where she was named the Las Vegas Review-Journal Best of Nevada Preps Female Athlete of the Year in 2018.^[1]

Rae Burrell

No. 12 – Los Angeles Sparks
Position	Guard / forward
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-06-21) June 21, 2000 (age 23) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	168 lb (76 kg)
Career information
High school	Liberty High School (Henderson, Nevada)
College	Tennessee (2018–2022)
WNBA draft	2022: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Career history
2022-Present	Los Angeles Sparks
Career highlights and awards
SEC All-Second Team (2021) SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020)

College career

Burrell was ranked the 43rd overall recruit by ESPN's HoopGurlz and committed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.^[2][3] In her freshman season, she played in every game - averaging 12.7 minutes. She scored a season high of 14 points, twice, against Presbyterian and Florida A&M.^[4]

During her sophomore campaign, Burrell became the team's top reserve. She finished the year averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. She also recorded the first double-double of her career against Mississippi State with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and one block.^[5]

As a junior, Burrell averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She also was the only Volunteer to start all the games. She played well in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 22 points against Middle Tennessee in their opening game.^[6]

Before her senior season, Burrell was ranked the 24th best women's college basketball player entering the 2021–2022 season.^[7] In an early game against Southern Illinois, she went down with a knee injury that caused her to miss several weeks.^[8] After returning from injury, Burrell played in 22 games, averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. She turned up her play late in the year after fellow guard Jordan Horston went down with an injury. She led the Volunteers back to the Sweet Sixteen - before falling to the Louisville Cardinals. She scored 22 points to end her Tennessee career.^[9]

On March 29, Burrell announced on Instagram that she would not be taking her COVID-Extra Year and would be putting her name in the 2022 WNBA draft.^[10]

Professional career

Los Angeles Sparks (2022–present)

Burrell was selected 9th overall in the 2022 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.^[11]

Burrell did not make the Sparks roster following the 2023 training camp, but was signed to a hardship contract in May.^[12][13] Burrell was released from the hardship after 2 days. Burrell returned for a second hardship contract on June 17, 2023.^[14] On February 1, 2024, Burrell signed a multi-year contract with the Sparks.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career best	°	League leader

College

Source^[15]

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	Tennessee	32	116	.317	.219	.568	2.8	0.4	0.9	0.3	3.6
2019–20	Tennessee	31	326	.410	.328	.600	5.5	1.4	0.9	0.5	10.5
2020-21	Tennessee	25	419	.458	.402	.825	4.6	1.8	0.9	0.4	16.8
2021-22	Tennessee	22	270	.364	.325	.794	3.9	1.6	0.6	0.3	12.3
Career	110		.402	.341	.703	4.2	1.3	0.6	0.4	10.3

WNBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2022	Los Angeles	3	1	14.7	.111	.167	1.000	1.0	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.3	1.7
2023	Los Angeles	29	3	11.1	.387	.390	.810	1.2	0.6	0.4	0.1	0.5	3.6
Career	2 years, 1 team	32	4	11.4	.363	.362	.826	1.2	0.6	0.5	0.1	0.5	3.4

References

1. "Here is the Review-Journal's Female Athlete of the Year". reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
2. "2018 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
3. Fleser, Dan. "Lady Vols get commitment from Rae Burrell, a 6-foot-1 wing". knoxnews.com. Knox News. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
4. Megargee, Steve. "No. 11 Lady Vols trounce Presbyterian 97-49 without Davis". dailyherald.com. Daily Herald. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
5. Cornelius, Maria. "Rae Burrell tallies double-double in first career start". 247sports.com. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
6. "No. 13/15 UT Defeats MT In NCAA First Round, 87-62". utsports.com. UT Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
7. Creme, Charlie. "Women's college basketball: Top 25 players for 2021-22". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
8. Hall, Cora. "Lady Vols basketball's Rae Burrell is out indefinitely, but it's not an ACL injury". knoxnews.com. Knox News. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
9. Cornelius, Maria. "Rae Burrell pours in 22 points; Lady Vols come up short in Sweet 16". 247sports.com. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
10. Haren, Jarvis. "Tennessee Lady Vol Rae Burrell declares for WNBA Draft". wcyb.com. WCYB. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
11. "LA Sparks Draft Rae Burrell Ninth Overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
12. "Sparks Waive Karlie Samuelson and Rae Burrell". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
13. "Sparks Sign Forward Rae Burrell to Hardship Contract". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
14. "Los Angeles Sparks Sign Forward Rae Burrell to Hardship Contract". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
15. "Rae Burrell Stats". utsports.com. UT Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2022.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from WNBA.com   and Basketball-Reference.com  
• Tennessee Volunteers bio