Adonal Foyle
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| Position | center |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 270 lb (123 kg) |
| Team | Golden State Warriors |
| Nationality |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines / United States |
| Born | March 9, 1975 (age 32) Canouan, Saint Vincent |
| College | Colgate |
| Draft | 8th overall, 1997 Golden State Warriors |
| Pro career | 1997–present |
Adonal David Foyle (born March 9, 1975 in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) is a Vincentian-American National Basketball Association player. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 8th overall selection of the 1997 NBA Draft and has played with the team during his entire pro career. Foyle played collegiately at Colgate University, where he was the school's all-time leading rebounder and 2nd all-time leading scorer. He is the NCAA's all-time blocked shots leader despite playing only three college seasons.
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[edit] College career
Graduated with a history degree from Colgate University, magna cum laude. Politically motivated, he founded the organization Democracy Matters, which tries to curb the effects of money on politics. He had an illustrious playing career while at Colgate, setting NCAA single season and career records for blocked shots[1] despite leaving college after his junior season. His final season also saw him lead the nation in points and rebounds per game and matched Colgate up with Tim Duncan and Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
[edit] NBA career
Through his NBA career, Foyle has averaged 4.5 points and 1.9 blocks per game. He has finished amongst the 10 highest players in blocks per game three times during his career.
In July 2004, during the offseason, the Golden State Warriors re-signed Foyle to a six-year, $42 million contract. The contract was argued by fans to be excessive, locking in a player who averages less than 20 minutes per game and who lacks offensive skills. The last two seasons Foyle has lost his starting role four times to three different players. During the 2005-2006 season, Foyle averaged 4.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 23.7 minutes a game, earning $7,312,500.
On Sept. 17th, in an interview, the Warriors' new coach, Don Nelson, said that Foyle was 27 pounds overweight, and that he was a 3rd teamer. Foyle has played very sparingly so far in the 2006-07 season and the Warriors reportedly have discussed a buyout of his contract which has three years and $29.2 million guaranteed left on his contract. Foyle's signing is seen as one of the most questionable free-agent contracts in recent history. [1]
Foyle is tied with Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs (10 years) for third place among active NBA players who have played their entire career for one team (Kevin Garnett leads all active players, having played 11 years for the Minnesota Timberwolves).
[edit] Off the court
In his spare time, Foyle writes poetry, on which he closely collaborates with Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas and is a political activist.
In 2001, he founded Democracy Matters [2], a non-partisan student organization, as an effort to counteract political apathy on college campuses. The organization's signature issue is campaign finance reform, particularly Clean Elections. Active on over 50 college campuses, Democracy Matters involves hundreds of students and faculty nationwide through teach-ins, letter writing and petition campaigns, educational seminars, and voter registration drives.
Foyle became an American citizen on March 13, 2007, after being in the U.S. for almost 18 years.[2][3]
[edit] Trivia
- At the age of 15, he was adopted by Joan and Jay Mandle, professors at Colgate University.[2]
- As of the start of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Foyle's 593 career regular season games are the most among active players without appearing in a playoff game.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The career blocks record was later broken by Lousiana Monroe's Wojciech Myrda.
- ^ a b Citizen Foyle: a New Status for Center, March 12, 2007.
- ^ Warriors' Foyle becomes an American, March 14, 2007.
