Natalie Burton


Natalie Burton is an Australian professional basketball player. She is a regular representative of the Australian national team and has played six seasons in the Women's National Basketball League. She is also a regular with the Perry Lakes Hawks in the State Basketball League.

Junior career

Burton made her debut for the Perry Lakes Hawks in the State Basketball League in 2006, going on to win the Most Improved Player award in 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, she played college basketball in the United States for the West Virginia Mountaineers. She averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 119 games, with her 52.8 career field goal percentage ranking her as the second best in West Virginia history. She graduated in May 2012 with a degree in finance.

Professional career

Following her graduation from West Virginia University, Burton returned to her hometown of Perth and signed with the West Coast Waves for the 2012–13 WNBL season. After averaging 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24 games over her rookie season, she recommitted to the Waves for the 2013–14 season. In her second season, she averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17 games. During this time, she played for the Perry Lakes Hawks in 2012 and 2013.
After playing for the BA Centre of Excellence during the 2014 SEABL season, Burton joined the Melbourne Boomers for the 2014–15 WNBL season. In 22 games for the Boomers, she averaged 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
On 17 April 2015, Burton signed with the Perth Lynx, a day after the rebranding of her former team the West Coast Waves. She helped the Lynx reach the WNBL Grand Final in 2016, where they lost 2–0 to the Townsville Fire. She appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2015–16, averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
On 27 May 2016, Burton re-signed with the Perth Lynx for the 2016–17 WNBL season. On 25 November 2016, she played her 100th WNBL game.
In 2017, Burton played for the Perry Lakes Hawks and helped them win the SBL championship.
On 31 August 2017, Burton re-signed with the Perth Lynx for the 2017–18 WNBL season. On 17 November 2017, Burton played her 100th game with the franchise, becoming the eleventh player in team history to do so.
After once again playing for the Hawks in 2018, Burton moved to Germany for the 2018–19 season to play for Herner TC. There she won the DBBL championship. After playing an eighth season with the Hawks in 2019, she returned to Europe for the 2019–20 season, this time playing for French team Union Saint-Amand Porte du Hainaut.

National team career

Burton represented Australia at the 2013 World University Games in Russia, where they lost to Team USA in the semifinals. Burton scored four points in the semifinal. Australia went on to win the bronze medal game. Later in 2013, Burton helped the Australian Opals win the gold medal at the FIBA Oceania Championship. In 2014, she won another bronze medal with the Opals, this time at the FIBA World Championship. She won another gold medal with the Opals at the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship.

Personal

Burton's younger sister, Emily, is also a basketball player and was a member of the 2017 Hawks championship team.