GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gator great Bradley Beal has committed to a major gift to benefit Florida’s men’s basketball program<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_news_2020_6_24_general-2Dbeal-2Dfuels-2Dhis-2Dlegacy-2Dby-2Dgiving-2Dback.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=g6eu_FHZ1-8zrws6vJ0-o6a93-PmX2CsIOrHZMVAnbo&s=finPEHIVoC-tvdMgIDTflMnfwalBnp6XfBlg4nrGWgk&e= >, with Beal’s gift set to fund improvements at the Gators’ basketball practice facility and put his name on the Bradley Beal Fuel Bar housed in the facility’s weight room.
“I want to leave a legacy,” Beal said. “[My mom] was a coach, a PE teacher, and she’d tell me, ‘You have to fuel the body!’ I really made an effort to put the right things in my system and once I got to the league I understood the importance of it all even more.”
“Bradley has been a proud Gator for many years now and is someone we can count on to show up and support our men’s basketball team whenever he has the opportunity,” Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. “We’re incredibly grateful for his willingness to also support our basketball programs financially with this enhancement to their practice facility, and are proud of the examples set by former student athletes who give back to the program.”
Beal spent the 2011-12 season with the Gators, earning first-team All-SEC honors and helping UF to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance before being selected No. 3 by the Washington Wizards in the NBA Draft. Now in his eighth pro season, all with the Wizards, Beal is a two-time NBA All-Star and was averaging 30.5 points per game when the 2019-20 season was interrupted.
With Beal’s commitment, Florida athletics has received gifts from alumni in the NBA, the NFL (Trey Burton<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_news_2020_2_13_football-2Dburton-2Ddelivers-2Dbig-2Dgift-2Dto-2Dkickstart-2Dgator-2Dnation-2Dgiving-2Dday.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=g6eu_FHZ1-8zrws6vJ0-o6a93-PmX2CsIOrHZMVAnbo&s=AGpc9pB76In6kIfImB999nvYg2eS8cE5VuoO6nr83QA&e= >) and MLB (Darren O’Day<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_news_2018_6_15_scott-2Dcarter-2Do-2Dday-2Dcommits-2Dto-2Dpitch-2Din-2Don-2Dnew-2Dstadium.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=g6eu_FHZ1-8zrws6vJ0-o6a93-PmX2CsIOrHZMVAnbo&s=ynELCG0COcyO1HZCALRVzUx3zc0Edu31fg13RijAiO0&e= >) over the past year.
