Arya News - Former Sacramento Kings star De`Aaron Fox reflected on his first return to Golden 1 Center since being traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
De"Aaron Fox ends emotional Kings chapter in Golden 1 Center return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – More than a dozen media members squeezed inside a small room inside Golden 1 Center patiently waiting for the man of the night on Friday.
After nearly 40 minutes had passed since the Kings’ 127-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs, De’Aaron Fox walked out of the visitors’ locker room and into the visitors’ media room for the first time.
A basketball game had just been played, but that was the last thing on anyone’s mind in the room. The night was about Fox and his highly anticipated return to Sacramento since being traded to the Spurs on Feb. 3 after spending his first seven-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Kings.
“I thought it was good,” Fox said of the crowd’s reception. “Like I said, I enjoyed my time. I really enjoyed the fans, and you cheer for your team. So it was definitely good.”
During his pregame introduction, Fox was met with a mixed reception where the cheers mostly outweighed the boos. Shortly thereafter, though, after the ball was tipped, nothing silenced the boos that poured in every single time Fox touched the ball.
It wasn’t surprising for a fanbase who could love a player but whose loyalty ultimately lies with the Kings.
That’s why during a timeout, when the Kings honored Fox with a special tribute video, fans rose to their feet and cheered and clapped for him as he embraced them right back. Immediately after the timeout, the boos returned.
“I wouldn’t say I got emotional,” Fox said of the tribute video. “But it was great. I was here for so long, almost a decade. So I really do appreciate it.”
Sacramento and San Antonio faced each other four times this season. Friday was the fourth and final meeting but the first for Fox as a Spur.
Since the early February trade was finalized, there has been nonstop speculation and rumors circulating about how and why things ended the way they did for Fox and the team he once said he wanted to spend his entire professional career with.
And while that pesky band-aid had been stuck on the skin for some time, it felt good for Fox to finally be able to rip it off.
“Yeah, definitely,” Fox said of playing his first game against his former team. “I hope I play 10-plus more years, so I’ll be back. I’ll be here. So it’s definitely good to get the first one out the way.”
Fox said he hadn’t thought too much about this day over the past couple of weeks, but knew when the time came, it would be special. He spent Thursday catching up with some old friends and family. He also had a big grin on his face while talking about the interactions he had with some fans, media members and ushers that he grew close to over the years.
Fox also disclosed that he was having a late dinner with his former Kings teammate and close friend, Keegan Murray, once he left the arena.
The two anticipated a great battle against each other in their first face-to-face meeting that wasn’t a 1-on-1 offseason workout.
“I’ve been with Keegan every game, up until about a month ago, of his career,” Fox said. “It’s always great seeing his development and just who he is as a person. I love Keegan. We still talk all the time.”
While Fox might have been the biggest advocate for Murray to show emotion on the court or talk trash from time to time, Murray waited until his 216th NBA game to unleash some friendly banter.
“After he got an offensive rebound, I think [Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle] got his fifth foul, he was like ‘Get your rook, Fox.’ That’s the first time I’ve ever heard Keegan talk trash.”
Fox finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and 0-6 from 3-point range, with four rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 33 minutes. Through 14 games with San Antonio, he’s now averaging 19.1 points on 43-percent shooting from the field and 24.4 percent from deep, with 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 34 minutes.
Aside from the Spurs’ loss, Fox labels Friday a fun night.
“Yeah, it was great being back for the first time,” he said. “Like I said, a lot of things were weird, like going to The Sawyer [Hotel]. I’d never spent the night at the Sawyer before. I’ve never been in this visiting locker room. I didn’t know what the showers looked like. I didn’t know anything about what the visiting side looked like. But yeah, it was definitely fun.
“I’m glad the first one is over with because now I feel like it probably won’t be as anticipated anymore. But next time, I’m hoping for a better game for us.”
That time likely won’t come until the 2025-26 season, and until then, Fox, fans, media and others can now put this emotional night to rest.
After speaking to the media for just over seven minutes, Fox finished his postgame availability and got up. As he slowly walked away, he said his final goodbyes to media members in the room.
“It was good to see y’all,” he said.
And, alas, what was an emotional 48-minute game, a busy two days in Sacramento, a drama-filled fours weeks since his exit and a special seven-and-a-half years for Fox, he walked away one from it all one last time, closing the chapter on a special tenure.
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