SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� De'Aaron Fox spent much of his time in Sacramento as the fan favorite and face of the Kings franchise who helped end a record-long playoff drought and brought much-needed joy to what had been a downtrodden team.
Fox returned Friday night as part of the opposition to play his first game against his original team since being traded to San Antonio in a . The Spurs lost 127-109 to the Kings as Fox scored 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
鈥淚t was great being back for the first time,鈥� Fox said after the game. 鈥淎 lot of the things were weird. ... I鈥檝e never been in this visiting locker room. I didn鈥檛 know what the showers looked like. I didn鈥檛 know anything about what the visiting side looked like. It was definitely fun. I鈥檓 glad that the first one is over with, because I feel like it probably won鈥檛 be as anticipated anymore. But next time hoping for a better game from from us.鈥�
The end of Fox鈥檚 time in Sacramento wasn鈥檛 the easiest as he didn鈥檛 want to sign a contract extension before the season, was frustrated by the firing of coach Mike Brown in December and then ultimately was traded to the Spurs in a deal that brought Zach LaVine from Chicago to the Kings.
Fox declined to get into details about why he left or refute any misperceptions about his final months in Sacramento, saying he was just excited to play in front of his old fans again.
Fox spent the pregame visiting with old friends around the court, even posing for pictures and signing autographs for fans. But the reception when he was introduced to the crowd was a mix of cheers and boos for a player Kings interim coach Doug Christie called 鈥渙ne of the greatest鈥� to play in a Sacramento uniform.
鈥淚t is part of the process that when you are someplace, especially like he was here for a second, there鈥檚 a lot of love and respect that goes into that,鈥� Christie said before the game. 鈥淏ut when you rip the scab off, there鈥檚 a lot of pain that goes with that too. I think that both sides have to understand that.鈥�
Fox was booed when he touched the ball but silenced those when he made his first shot. A tribute video played during a break in the first quarter was greeted by a standing ovation and a wave from Fox to the fans.
鈥淚t was great,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was here for so long, almost a decade. I really do appreciate it.鈥�
Fox said the emotions of the night didn't impact his performance, saying he has been struggling with his shot for a few weeks. Fox has been hampered this season by a dislocated left pinky finger and might under go surgery when the team goes to Los Angeles later this month.
Fox played seven-plus seasons in Sacramento after being drafted fifth overall in 2017. He helped the Kings snap an NBA-record 16-year playoff drought in 2023, when he was an All-Star, a third-team All-NBA pick and won the Clutch Player of the Year award.
Fox said he will never forget the feeling before Game 1 of the playoff series against Golden State in 2023 when the fans got to see their first postseason game in Sacramento since 2006. Fox scored 38 points in a win that night, but the Kings ultimately lost that series in seven games.
鈥淭hat's easily the best moment I had had when I was here,鈥� he said about Game 1 of that series. 鈥淏eing able to give them a piece of that core memory was real high on my to-do list for sure.鈥�
Fox averaged 21.5 points per game during his time in Sacramento and was one of the most productive players since the team moved to California in 1985-86. Fox ranks second in points (11,064), first in assists (3,146) and first in steals (731) in the Sacramento era for the franchise.
Fox said the hardest part of the past month since the trade has been the process of moving halfway across the country, adjusting to new teammates and coaches and learning names.
He has fit in well with the young Spurs and came into the game Friday averaging 19.3 points and 6.6 assists. He has also quickly bonded with his teammates, leading to star center Victor Wembanyama's decision to join the team on this trip to support Fox even though he is out for the season with .
鈥淲hat he鈥檚 going through is definitely tough,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淔or us, we just want him to be healthy. We want him to be healthy enough to be able to get on a plane and to be able to support us as a team. That鈥檚 what he wants to do anyway. For us, we want him to be as healthy as possible.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
