The Next Chapter

by Adonal Foyle

As an NBA player, you know that it is all but inevitable that you will have to 'hang em up' one of these days. Even though that is the case, it is still one of the hardest things to contemplate. I am leaving a sport that I love dearly and I spent most of my life committed to it. When it comes to basketball, I will always consider myself at a PhD level - anything I do from here on will be at a college level.

Being considered one of the 450 best players in the world for the last 13 years and with the role basketball has played in my life - taking a small kid from a small Caribbean island to places I never thought possible - it is very difficult to let go of something so fundamental in my life.

A lot of moments in the past 13 years stand out for me. One of them is watching the Warriors make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The We Believe Warriors was a very exciting time in my life. And seeing the Bay Area fans come alive and really carry the team with every fiber of their being was simply amazing. I was also fortunate to get to know to know so many different players. I remember being around Muggsy Bogues, Felton Spencer, Terry Cummings, all of the players who have come to the Warriors and were very instrumental in my learning process. It was a phenominal opportunity to know them. That has always been pretty cool to think about.

Another moment was obviously going to the NBA Finals with Orlando. We had something special during that season and the Magic are still a championship-caliber team. I'm just sorry we couldn't bring a title to Orlando. I will also think about the accomplishments I made along the way. Becoming the Warriors' all-time leading shot blocker was a great feeling. And off the court, I was inducted into a pair of Halls of Fame. The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame and the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. I will also think about the personal accomplishments. I left college early to enter the NBA draft in 1997, but I still managed to eventually graduate. I am also a spit away from earning my master's degree in sports psychology. But most of all, I will always remember the fans - both in the Bay Area and in Orlando - for really accepting me as one of their own. I made great friends along the way and that will always give me an awesome feeling.

I am extremely excited about the next step in my life. I look forward to becoming familiar with the options that are ahead of me and I'm thrilled to give myself the opportunity to find another passion. I'm excited about the road ahead because I know it will be wonderful, surprising, difficult and frustrating all at the same time. That's part of life. And I'm eager to enter that road of uncertainty.

I will still be around, so please don't hesitate to check my website for updates, say hello to me on Facebook or Twitter, or simply say hi when you see me at the nearest coffee house.

It's been a great run. And now, it's time to turn the page to a new chapter.

- Adonal