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San Francisco Chronicle
December 4, 2007
by Janny Hu
Foyle honored on his return to Oakland
For ex-Warrior Adonal Foyle, everything is new these days.
Coaches. Teammates. West Coast road trips.
Even the locker room at Oracle Arena.
"I kept following my teammates, making sure what door they were going to go into," Foyle laughed from his temporary stall in the visitors' locker room. "I've never been on this side of the arena before. I never even knew this side existed."
Orlando's backup center, whom the Warriors drafted in 1997, returned to face Golden State for the first time since agreeing to a $13 million buyout over the summer.
The Warriors paid tribute to their longtime center with a pregame video tribute that thanked him "for a decade of commitment," and ended with fans giving Foyle a standing ovation.
"This team, it's been a journey for me," said Foyle, whose political activism and gregarious manner made him a fan favorite even when he wasn't playing. "Where we started off, not winning many games, to where we're at right now - it holds a special place.
"This community has been such an amazing group ... they really deserve this. I'm sad I'm not a part of it, but I wish them nothing but the best - after tonight."
Copyright © 2007, San Francisco Chronicle
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