Arya News - De`Aaron Fox is back in Sacramento, the city he called home for nearly eight years. But this time, things are different as he enters Golden 1 Center as the opponent.
Fox ready for emotional Sacramento return, first game vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – De’Aaron Fox is about as familiar with Sacramento as anyone, but something felt different Thursday when he arrived at the place he once called home.
“The first thing that was strange was going to The Sawyer [Hotel],” Fox said after Spurs shootaround Friday morning at Golden 1 Center. “I’ve never stayed a night there before. That was definitely the weirdest part for me.”
Fox spent seven-and-a-half years in California’s state capital during his time with the Kings, but he was used to driving about 25 miles east to his Carmichael home after practices and games.
Friday’s shootaround was the first time he stepped foot into Golden 1 Center as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. While he’ll use humor and have a lighthearted attitude toward the matter, it’s undoubtedly bound to be an emotional return Friday night.
“For people that I’ve come across already, it’s been a lot of love and I really appreciate that,” Fox said. “I was 19 years old when I got here and I was welcomed with open arms. So I definitely appreciate the time that I had here.
“I was raised here. From a really young man to a young man who’s now raising a family. I appreciate the time that I had here, I had a lot of fun here. So it’s definitely not something that I take for granted.”
After wanting to spend his entire NBA career with the Kings and truly believing he would, things quickly changed for Fox and the only professional basketball organization he had known. He was traded to San Antonio , his preferred destination, on Feb. 3 in a three-team deal that also brought two-time NBA All-Star Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls to the Kings.
While there have been rumors and plenty of chatter since Fox’s departure regarding why or how it came about, he is ready to put the talk behind him and just focus on basketball.
“I spoke my piece, so I’m done talking about it,” Fox said. “I’m excited to be here playing in front of this fanbase again and see people that I know and love.”
Fox is unsure what to expect from the G1C crowd when he’s introduced on the opposing team for the first time. During the Kings’ 130-88 blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 24, just before the team embarked on a four-game road trip, the team previewed its next home game: Kings vs. Spurs.
A graphic on the jumbotron displayed LaVine in a Kings jersey and Fox in a Spurs jersey, to which sparked a mixed reaction from the crowd, including loud boos.
“I expect a good basketball game,” Fox said. “I saw the boos. It is what it is.”
Fox’s former teammate and close friend, Kings forward Keegan Murray, aka “Uncle Keegz,” hopes the fans’ reception of Fox on Friday night is positive.
“We’re not too worried about it. Hopefully, it’s a positive thing. That’s just what I hope for,” Murray said. ‘I know Fox has loved his seven and a half years here, and he’s gotten us to the playoffs and things like that. So I just think he gave his all when he was here, so I just hope for the best reception for him.”
Fox took Murray under his wing since the 24-year-old’s 2022-23 rookie season. They spent offseasons together in Sacramento, both on the court to work on their game and make each other better, and also off the court to build a close relationship.
That’s how Uncle Keegz was born, as the duties for the then-rookie included babysitting Fox’s son Reign.
Three years later, the diaper duties were less rookie hazing and more of Murray’s willingness to bond with Reign and Fox’s 7-month-old daughter, Poppy.
“Yeah. I’ve missed them,” Murray said Friday of Fox’s young children. “I’m used to seeing them after the games, so it’s been a change. I’ve talked to them since our time being apart, so I’m just looking forward to seeing his family for sure.”
Even from more than 1,700 miles apart, though, Murray and Fox make sure to stay in touch as much as they can..
“We’ve been really good friends since pretty much the moment I got here,” Murray said. “So we’ve been in contact a lot, I’d say. FaceTimes, text messages, things like that. Just staying in touch.
“At the end of the day, basketball aside, we’re really good friends, and I’m really good friends with his family.”
They’ll be anything but good friends when they step onto the hardwood for the first time as opponents. Both players are competitive in their own way and know each other’s games inside and out.
Fox anticipates Murray, who’s typically tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player, will defend him. He also spoke about Murray’s growth over the last three seasons, like a proud father.
“Keegan probably knows all my moves,” Fox said. “We spent two summers together playing a lot of 1-on-1. They asked me who I thought would guard me and i was like, I would assume Keegan guards me. I’ve been around him. I’ve seen him continue to grow as a player, continue to see him become a better offensive and much better defensive player than when he came in. So that’s definitely an exciting matchup.”
Murray, too, is looking forward to the challenge.
“The only time I defended him has been in the summers, so honestly it’s been fun to be able to compete with him in the summertime and play 1-on-1,” Murray said. “I’m just excited to go out there and compete against him.
“At the end of the day, it’s just basketball, so feelings aside, we’re just going to play basketball and compete against the Spurs. After the game, if people want to talk and chat, once the ball stops bouncing, we’re going to stop competing.”
Emotions will be in the Sacramento air Friday night, but it’s safe to say everyone is excited for nothing more than to just compete on the floor.
During Fox’s Kings tenure, he averaged 21.5 points on 47.1-percent shooting, with 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.2 minutes through 514 games (500 starts). He was a one-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA team once, was the 2022-23 Clutch Player of the Year and was the 2023-24 steals champion.
He helped lead the Kings to the playoffs during the 2022-23 season for the first time in 17 years, and it remains a seven-game playoff series he won’t ever forget.
From a 19-year-old rookie to a 27-year-old man, Swipa’s memories in Sacramento are endless. But one in particular sticks out more than the others.
“I think it’s easily the first playoff game,” Fox said. “I mean, you have home-court advantage, you get Game 1. That’s easily the best moment that I’ve had while I was here. A lot of y’all got to see the early 2000 [Kings] teams, but a lot of kids never got to see that.
“So just being able to give them a piece of that core memory is definitely on my real, real high on my to-do list, for sure.”
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