Adonal David Foyle (born March 9, 1975) is a
Vincentian-American former professional basketball
center. He was selected by the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
with the eighth overall selection of the
1997 NBA draft. Foyle played ten seasons with the Warriors until the team bought out his contract on August 13, 2007. At the time, he had been Golden State's longest-tenured player.
[Warriors place Foyle on waivers; Center eyes Magic]
updated August 13, 2007 He then played two seasons with the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
and part of the season with the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
, sat out the next season due to knee surgery, and retired. , Foyle does Warriors post-game commentary for
ABC 7 in San Francisco.
Early life and college career
Foyle was born in
Canouan,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines. At the age of 15, Foyle was adopted by Joan and Jay Mandle, professors at
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
.
[Citizen Foyle: a New Status for Center](_blank)
, March 12, 2007. He first attended high school at
Cardinal O'Hara Catholic High in
Springfield, Pennsylvania. He transferred after sophomore year and attended high school at
Hamilton Central School (
Hamilton, New York
Hamilton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York, Madison County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 6,379 at the 2020 census. The town is named after American Founding Father ...
), where he helped the HCS Emerald Knights gain their first two state championships.
, his 47 points and 25 rebounds in the
NYSPHSAA Class D semifinals in 1994 are tied for the most in either statistical category in a state tournament game.
In his official biography, Foyle explained that he enrolled at
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
because "he wanted the opportunity to learn the principles of the game in a slower-paced setting, where the coach would be able to give him the attention he desired." With the
Colgate Raiders, he was the school's all-time-leading rebounder and 2nd-all-time-leading scorer. He led the Raiders to their first two
NCAA tournament appearances in school history. He left as the NCAA's all-time leader in blocked shots with 492, despite playing only three college seasons (his record was broken by
Wojciech Myrda
Wojciech Myrda (March 18, 1979 – September 19, 2018) was a Polish professional basketball player. At tall, he played the center position. He was born in Poland but graduated from high school in the United States. Myrda attended Ouachita Paris ...
in 2002). He now ranks third all-time, behind Myrda and
Jarvis Varnado.
In 1999, Foyle graduated from Colgate
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
with a history degree.
Politically motivated, he founded the organization
Democracy Matters, which tries to curb the effects of money on politics.
NBA career
In his NBA career, Foyle averaged 4.1 points and 1.6 blocks per game. He was among the top 10 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.
[ Foyle played sparingly during the 2006–07 season under head coach Don Nelson, and was waived by the Warriors on August 13, 2007, with three years and $29.2 million remaining on his contract.
On August 23, 2007, Foyle signed with the ]Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
for the veteran's minimum of $1.3 million. On August 2, 2008, he re-signed with the Magic for another year, also at the veteran's minimum.
He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
on February 19, 2009.
On March 1, 2009, the Grizzlies waived Foyle. He signed with the Orlando Magic on March 23, 2009, for the rest of the season. Later that year, in August, Foyle re-signed with the Magic. However, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery before the season began, and did not play that season.[ ] On August 17, 2010, Foyle announced his retirement. On September 7, 2010, the Magic named Foyle the team's director of player development, which he held until 2012.
Off the court
In his spare time, Foyle writes poems and is a political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
. He has reviewed books for ''Hoop'' magazine.
In 2001, he founded Democracy Matters, 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
A publicly funded election is an election funded with money collected through income tax donations or taxes as opposed to private or corporate-funded campaigns. In 1974, following the Watergate scandal, the U.S. Congress revised the Federal Ele ...
. 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.
In 2005, Foyle founded the Kerosene Lamp Foundation, which serves children in St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
He played a cameo role of "detective" in the 2006 movie '' The Darwin Awards''.
Foyle became an American citizen on March 13, 2007, after being in the U.S. for almost 18 years. He also became a member of the National Basketball Players Association
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the labor union that represents National Basketball Association (NBA) players. It was founded in 1954, making it the oldest trade union of the four major professional sports leagues in the U ...
executive committee.
He was elected to the Common Cause
Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...
National Governing Board in 2008.
On September 24, 2009, Foyle was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Only eight other NBA players have been inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame ( Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Vlade Divac, Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
, A. C. Green, Kevin Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (June 25, 1966 – September 30, 2024) was a Congolese-American professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo ...
, David Robinson and Steve Smith).
In 2013, Foyle released his first children's book, called ''Too Tall Foyle Finds His Game''.
In January 2014, Foyle traveled to Spain and Morocco as a Sports Diplomacy
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a par ...
Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this function, he worked with Ruth Riley to conduct basketball clinics for more than 600 youth from under-served areas. In so doing, Foyle helped contribute to Sports Diplomacy's mission to promote conflict resolution, leadership, greater understanding and inclusion through sport.
The Golden State Warriors appointed Foyle as the team's community ambassador in 2014.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 55 , , 1 , , 11.9 , , .406 , , .000 , , .435 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .2 , , .9 , , 3.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 44 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .430 , , .000 , , .490 , , 4.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 2.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 76 , , 59 , , 21.8 , , .508 , , .000 , , .378 , , 5.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 5.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 58 , , 37 , , 25.1 , , .416 , , .000 , , .441 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , 2.7 , , 5.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 79 , , 36 , , 18.8 , , .444 , , .000 , , .398 , , 4.9 , , .5 , , .5 , , 2.1 , , 4.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 82 , , 0 , , 21.8 , , .536 , , .000 , , .673 , , 6.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 2.5 , , 5.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 44 , , 8 , , 13.0 , , .454 , , .000 , , .543 , , 3.8 , , .4 , , .1 , , 1.0 , , 3.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 78 , , 50 , , 21.8 , , .502 , , .000 , , .556 , , 5.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , 2.0 , , 4.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 77 , , 72 , , 23.7 , , .507 , , .000 , , .612 , , 5.5 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.6 , , 4.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 48 , , 6 , , 9.9 , , .565 , , .000 , , .440 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 1.0 , , 2.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .458 , , .000 , , .471 , , 2.5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, 9 , , 0 , , 6.6 , , .636 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.9 , , .1 , , .0 , , .9 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Memphis
, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 733 , , 269 , , 17.8 , , .476 , , .000 , , .499 , , 4.7 , , .5 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 4.1
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, style="text-align:left;", Golden State
, 3 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 8 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , .000 , , .8 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5
See also
* List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders
__NOTOC__
In basketball, a block (basketball), block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal (basketball), field goal attempt without committing a personal foul (basketball), foul. The top 25 highest bloc ...
* List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders
In basketball, a block (basketball), block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal (basketball), field goal attempt without committing a personal foul (basketball), foul. The National Collegiate Athletic Ass ...
References
External links
Adonal Foyle's homepage
*
* at NBA.com
Kerosene Lamp Foundation
Democracy Matters
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Foyle, March 5, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foyle, Adonal
1975 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American adoptees
American men's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Colgate Raiders men's basketball players
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriate basketball people in the United States
Golden State Warriors draft picks
Golden State Warriors players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Memphis Grizzlies players
Orlando Magic players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
People from Canouan
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines men's basketball players
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emigrants to the United States
21st-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
20th-century African-American sportsmen
African American adoptees
Naturalized citizens of the United States