Marcus Franklee Foster (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who last played for

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...

of the Ligat HaAl and the EuroCup. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

and

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

before playing professionally in South Korea, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Lithuania.

Early life and high school career

Foster is the son of Melvin and Alvita Foster. Foster has two older sisters. Growing up in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

, Marcus Foster began playing basketball at a young age and developed a reputation as a gymrat. He competed for

Hirschi High School John R. Hirschi Math/Science International Baccalaureate Magnet High School, commonly known as Hirschi High School or HHS, was a four-year public high school in Wichita Falls, Texas, located at 3106 Borton Lane. It was an accredited International ...

and was a well-regarded recruit for

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

College career

Kansas State

Foster was a surprise star at Kansas State, scoring 25 points in his second game in uniform. In a game against

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in February, he contributed 34 points. Foster had 29 in a matchup versus Baylor in March. He was named Second Team All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

and led Kansas State to a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament. On the season, Foster averaged 15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and he shot 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc. He went to the LeBron James Skill Academy in the summer. In his sophomore year, Foster was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big 12. However, Foster had a very disappointing season, which he blamed on focusing too much on the NBA. He gained weight and was suspended three games into the conference season. Foster's per game averages dropped to 12.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Kansas State limped to a 15–17 record, and at the end of the season coach Bruce Weber dismissed him. Foster transferred to Creighton since he had developed a relationship with coach

Greg McDermott Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American basketball coach who has been the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball, Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team since 2010. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach a ...

Creighton

Per NCAA policy, Foster was forced to sit out a season. Coming into his redshirt junior season, Foster was named Preseason

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Honorable Mention. He was the first player in 30 years to score 15 or more points in the first eight games of Creighton's season. On February 19, 2017, Foster scored a career-high 35 points in an 87–70 win against Georgetown. At the conclusion of the season, he garnered First Team All-Big East honors. He was named one of five finalists for the

Jerry West Award The Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate shooting guard. The award is named after former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, ...

. Foster scored 638 points as a junior, the highest for a Creighton newcomer, for an 18.2 points per game average, third highest in the Big East. After deliberating for a few days, he opted to return for his senior year. On September 29, 2017, Foster's girlfriend Chelsea Ghasemi gave birth to their first child. Foster was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East as a senior. He had a season-high 32 points in a 90–81 win versus

UT Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A&M ...

on December 19. On February 7, 2018, Foster scored his 2,000th career point on a game-winning shot to defeat DePaul. In his final college game, a loss to Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he scored just five points but embraced Bruce Weber after the game. Foster averaged 19.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a senior. Foster was named to the First Team All-Big East. After the season he was invited to the 2018

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

Professional career

2018–19 season

After going undrafted in the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

, he joined the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

for the

2018 NBA Summer League The 2018 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Sacramento Kings's California Classic Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. The Sacr ...

. On August 2, 2018, Foster signed his professional contract with

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

(KBL). On October 17, 2018, Foster recorded a career-high 47 points, shooting 16-of-27 from the field, along with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 117–116 win over the

Changwon LG Sakers Changwon LG Sakers are a professional basketball team located in the city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. They play in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), and their home arena is Changwon Gymnasium which has a capacity for ...

. In 51 games played for Wonju, he finished the season as the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

fourth-leading scorer with 25.2 points, along with 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. On March 28, 2019, Foster signed with

Champville SC CS Maristes, formerly known as Champville Club SC (), is a Lebanese basketball team from Dik El Mehdi, Lebanon. The team competes in the Lebanese Basketball League. Since its establishment in 1967, the team has been affiliated with the Coll� ...

of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...

for the rest of the season.

2019–20 season

In June 2019, Foster joined 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

2019 NBA Summer League The 2019 NBA Summer League was held at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It began on July 1 and ended on July 15. All 30 teams and two national teams, China and Cr ...

. On July 31, 2019, Foster signed with

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

and the

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...

(BCL) for the 2019–20 season. On October 11, 2019, Foster recorded 20 points in his debut, while shooting 7-of-12 from the field, along with six rebounds and four assists in a 103–86 win over

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. () is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports Association", with the ...

. On November 9, 2019, Foster recorded a season-high 29 points, while shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range, leading Holon to a 92–73 win over

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli professional association football, football club from the city of Beersheba, Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club was estab ...

. In 34 games played for Hapoel (both in the Israeli League and the BCL), Foster averaged 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

2020–21 season

On July 14, 2020, Foster signed a one-year deal with Panathinaikos of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

, with the option for an additional season. On February 18, 2021, he was released from the Greek club. On February 18, 2021, Foster signed with

Türk Telekom Türk Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. () is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995. Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wideband I ...

of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

2021–22 season

In October 2021, Foster signed with the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) for training camp. He subsequently joined the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

as an affiliate player. On May 19, 2022, Foster returned to Greece, signing with Promitheas Patras before the start of the

playoffs. In 10 games played, he averaged 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists, playing around 24 minutes per contest.

2022–2023 season

On August 2, 2022, Foster signed with Rytas Vilnius of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

(LKL) and the

2023–2024 season

After season in Rytas Vilnius, Marcus signed for Shandong Heroes competing in CBA. However, with mutual agreement Foster terminated his contract and re-joined Rytas Vilnius on December 27, 2023 .

2024–2025 season

On July 1, 2024, he signed with

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

References

External links

Creighton Bluejays bioKansas State Wildcats bioEurobasket profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Marcus 1995 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas BC Rytas players Creighton Bluejays men's basketball players Hapoel Holon B.C. players Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Panathinaikos B.C. players Promitheas Patras B.C. players Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Wichita Falls, Texas Türk Telekom B.K. players Wonju DB Promy players