Atlanta waives Cierra Burdick
MARKEISHA GATLING – WNBA.com BIO
ATLANTA (June 27, 2016) – The Atlanta Dream have signed center Markeisha Gatling to a contract after claiming her off waivers, the organization announced Monday. The Dream also waived forward Cierra Burdick to finalize the roster move.
Gatling, in her third WNBA season, most recently played for the Seattle Storm, seeing action in 11 games in 2016 before being released on June 25. She averaged 5.8 minutes of action and 2.3 points per game in her time with Seattle this season.
Originally selected No. 10 overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky, Gatling will be joining her third WNBA franchise after playing her rookie season in 2014 with Chicago (3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg) before joining Seattle in 2015.
Over her WNBA career, Gatling has posted averages of 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds while seeing an average of 11.2 minutes of action per contest.
During her collegiate career at North Carolina State, Gatling was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a senior (2014) and was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America choice.
She averaged 17.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior and finished her career as N.C. State’s all-time field-goal percentage leader. Gatling also closed out her collegiate tenure by ranking 11th in scoring and seventh in offensive rebounds in the ACC career record books.
Burdick spent the majority of 2015 with Atlanta but was limited to 11 games after suffering a foot injury that required season-ending surgery. In 2016, Burdick appeared in eight games while averaging 0.4 points and 3.7 minutes per contest.
The Dream continues their current road trip on Tuesday, June 28 when they take on the Seattle Storm in a 10 p.m. ET tip from Key Arena, which will be aired live on ESPN3. Atlanta closes out the three-game road swing on Thursday, June 30 at Los Angeles before returning home to Philips Arena on Sunday, July 3 to host Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in a 6 p.m. ET tip.
To purchase tickets click here: BUY NOW
Transaction: The Atlanta Dream signed center Markeisha Gatling to a contract after claiming her off waivers and waived forward Cierra Burdick.
2016 Atlanta Dream Roster (as of June 27, 2016)
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht. | Wt. | Birth Date | Exp | From |
| 10 | Matee Ajavon | G | 5-8 | 160 | 5/7/86 | 8 | Rutgers |
| 23 | Layshia Clarendon | G | 5-9 | 140 | 5/2/91 | 3 | California |
| 8 | Carla Cortijo | G | 5-8 | 135 | 7/21/87 | 1 | Texas |
| 12 | Damiris Dantas* | F | 6-3 | 196 | 11/17/92 | 2 | Brazil |
| — | Markeisha Gatling | C | 6-5 | 195 | 7/14/92 | 3 | North Carolina State |
| 21 | Reshanda Gray | F | 6-2 | 192 | 6/1/93 | 1 | California |
| 15 | Tiffany Hayes | G | 5-10 | 155 | 9/20/89 | 4 | Connecticut |
| 14 | Rachel Hollivay | C | 6-4 | 210 | 10/24/93 | R | Rutgers |
| 32 | Bria Holmes | G | 6-1 | 170 | 4/19/94 | R | West Virginia |
| 20 | Sancho Lyttle | F | 6-4 | 175 | 9/20/83 | 11 | Houston |
| 35 | Angel McCoughtry | G/F | 6-1 | 160 | 9/10/86 | 7 | Louisville |
| 0 | Meighan Simmons | G | 5-9 | 140 | 1/25/92 | 1 | Tennessee |
| 52 | Elizabeth Williams | C/F | 6-3 | 192 | 6/23/93 | 1 | Duke |
* Damiris Dantas has not reported to Atlanta’s training camp and has been suspended for the entire season. She will not be eligible to play for any team during the 2016 season while she competes for the Brazilian National Team.
Atlanta Dream season tickets and single game tickets are available now by logging on for more information at Atlanta Dream Membership Central or clicking HERE. For single-game tickets, fans can buy directly via Ticketmaster.
The three-time Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Dream is entering its ninth season in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The Dream plays their home games at Philips Arena. Atlanta has qualified for the playoffs six times, winning conference titles in 2013, 2011 and 2010.