Lester Fonville (born February 15, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He played at John F. Kennedy High School in his hometown of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, before he spent one year playing collegiately at Lake City Community College.[1] After sitting out one season,[1] he played college basketball with the Jackson State Tigers for three years and emerged as a potential NBA draft candidate.[2] In his senior season, his 3.9 blocks per game were ranked third best in NCAA Division I.[3] Fonville was selected to the second-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in 1986 and the first-team in 1987.[4]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 15, 1963 Mound Bayou, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John F. Kennedy (Mound Bayou, Mississippi) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1987: 2nd round, 29th overall pick |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 1987–1989 | Mississippi Jets / Wichita Falls Texans |
| 1990 | Norwood Flames |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Fonville was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 29th overall pick of the 1987 NBA draft. Although he never played for the Trail Blazers, he signed with the team in April 1988, was on their 1988 playoff roster, and worked out regularly with their Lithuanian prospect, Arvydas Sabonis, prior to the 1988–89 NBA season.[5][6]
Fonville played two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1987 to 1989. He played for the Mississippi Jets for the 1987–88 season, then stayed with the team the next season as they relocated and became the Wichita Falls Texans. He averaged 3.7 points and 5.3 rebounds over 34 games.[7] He spent the 1990 season with the Norwood Flames of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).[8]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Jackson State | 25 | – | 17.4 | .467 | – | .489 | 5.7 | .5 | .2 | 2.2 | 7.1 |
| 1985–86 | Jackson State | 29 | – | 24.0 | .447 | – | .529 | 7.8 | 1.4 | .5 | 3.2 | 7.3 |
| 1986–87 | Jackson State | 29 | 26 | 30.3 | .454 | – | .660 | 10.3 | 1.0 | .7 | 3.9 | 13.7 |
| Career | 83 | 26 | 24.2 | .455 | – | .599 | 8.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 3.1 | 9.5 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "JSU coach Covington: give the big man time". Clarion-Ledger. December 5, 1984. p. 37.
- ^ "Cunningham's Scouting Report". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 21 June 1987. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "NBA Draft A Pleasant Change For Black Colleges". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 13 July 1987. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "Southwestern Athletic Conference". College Hoopedia. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Sabonis Is No Bolshevik Playboy, Blazers Say". Deseret News. 12 June 1988. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. April 21, 1988. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ 1989–90 CBA Official Guide and Register, Denver, Colorado: Continental Basketball Association, 1989, p. 258
- ^ "Lester Fonville SEABL Player Profile". SportsTG. Retrieved 27 December 2019.