| 17 August 2010
For a lot of NBA fans, Adonal Foyle's retirement may jut be a blip on the sports radar. But to Magic fans it might still be a blip.
Foyle, after all, did not play a single game last year as he struggled to overcome a knee injury and mainly sported a suit and hammed it up with fans last year. I cannot even remember if he appeared in warmup lines at any point last season. Despite all that, Foyle was still viewed as a positive influence in the locker room and the elder statesmen on the team.
In other words, he was kept on the roster more for the person he is rather than what he could bring to the court.
And that is likely how Foyle's three years in Orlando will be remembered. That is likely how his career will be remembered (I will have more on that tomorrow).
Foyle is not your typical NBA player and we experienced a little bit of that in Orlando. Foyle wrote for a time for The Orlando Sentinel on their Orlando Opinionaters blog. He was also a favorite of Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop for his truthful and frank commentary on life in the NBA and even of his own team.
The great thing about Foyle though was his never-ending enthusiasm and joy in everything he did with the team. Even while Foyle was injured -- or even if he was in uniform this past year -- you would see him talking with fans in the front rows or tossing the ball to young fans sitting nearby and urging them to be a part of his pregame rituals. At the end, Foyle knew he was not going to play and involved the fans and had just, plain fun with his last bits of time on the court.
Foyle's desire to bring joy to others extends far beyond the basketball court.
Growing up, Foyle did not have electricity. He only came to the United States after Colgate professors discovered him and set him up with a scholarship at Colgate to play basketball. Foyle took advantage of that opportunity and has always used basketball as a platform for his humanitarian goals.
He founded the Kerosene Lamp Foundation in 2005 to build and refurbish basketball courts in urban areas and provide a safe places to play. KLF also established a mentorship program designed to turn promising athletes in Foyle's native St. Vincent & the Grenadines into successful student-athletes.
Foyle also founded the organization Democracy Matters that encourages young people to vote. He became a U.S. citizen in time for the 2008 election, an event he was very excited to participate in.
"I have loved every minute of the game," said Foyle in a release. "Retiring is bittersweet as my happiest memories are with the game. I’m looking forward to spending more time on humanitarian issues and mentoring the young basketball players who may need a voice of experience as they embark on their NBA careers."
Foyle was also the Magic's player representative to the NBA Players' Association and the union's first vice president. Foyle said he will resign that position in a few days (a somewhat big concern for the union as it negotiates a new collective bargaining agreement).
Foyle's is the definition of a "glue guy" and he will be missed. Hopefully he will find a role within the organization -- he has front office aspirations -- so we can still see him around the Amway Center.
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