PARIS, France — "It's heavy! That was my first observation. Just trying to process everything. An incredible honor to play at the Olympics to represent my country," Cierra Burdick told WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni in an interview following her team's Olympic victory.
Burdick and her teammates felt the weight of trying to get that medal, rallying from an 0-3 start and winning 6 of 7 games to take the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"It was tough. The best word to characterize our group was resilient. We believed in us, we believed that we could come back and go on a run and we were able to do just that," Burdick said.
She was a two-time state player of the year at Butler High School and played at Tennessee and in the WNBA. But it's been a long and sometimes difficult journey.
"It's not going to be an easy road. I think there's been a lot of ups and downs in my collegiate career, my professional career. I think it's definitely made me the person I am today," Burdick said, "I wouldn't trade any of it. I've learned a lot about myself. I've relied a lot on my support system and my village. None of this would be possible without them."
At the opening ceremony in Paris, there she was, cruising down the Seine with Team USA, and LeBron.
"I was in the front of the boat because I wanted to make sure I got the full experience. I wanted to take in all the sights, sounds. It was raining. I did not care," she said.
At one point during the ceremony, Burdick got teary-eyed.
"I was like, man what a journey it's been. It hasn't been easy. Who would've thought I'd be playing for my country at the Olympics? Just to get to experience the opening ceremonies, to be a part of that evening, that night, beyond my wildest dreams," she said.
Burdick, of course, wasn't the only Charlottean to bring home an Olympic medal in basketball this year.
"I would say we're big Curry fans, as probably this whole city is. We all know how he is as a basketball player. The greatest shooter to ever grace the planet, but just who he is as a human being, as a man," she said.
Burdick has signed to play with a Spanish team, but will continue her 3-x-3 basketball career and hopes to inspire others.
"I hope it continues to grow. I hope that more and more people fall in love with it the way I have," she said.
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
