Sacramento Kings rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford created a stir on social media when he chose to wear the No. 5 jersey that belonged to De’Aaron Fox for the past eight seasons.
There was an impassioned mix of appreciation and resentment for Fox when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in February. Fox helped the Kings end the longest playoff drought in NBA history while establishing a legacy as one of the best players in franchise history, but a messy breakup alienated many fans.
Clifford, who came to Sacramento after the Kings acquired the 24th pick in the draft in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was asked about his decision to wear No. 5 during an introductory press conference Thursday at Golden 1 Center.
“Yeah, I know there was a little bit of controversy around that number, but honestly it was just the best available number,” said Clifford, who is expected to make his debut when the Kings play the Orlando Magic on Thursday in their Las Vegas Summer League opener.
Clifford wore No. 10 at Colorado and Colorado State, but that number is currently worn by DeMar DeRozan. Mitch Richmond’s No. 2, Chris Webber’s No. 4, Bob Davies’ No. 11, Maurice Stokes’ No. 12, Oscar Robertson’s No. 14, Peja Stojakovic’s No. 16, Vlade Divacs’ No. 21, Jack Twyman’s No. 27 and Sam Lacey’s No. 44 are retired. No. 6, which recognizes Kings fans as the team’s “Sixth Man,” also hangs in the rafters as a retired number.
“At first, when I was looking at the list, there’s a lot of retired numbers around here,” Clifford said. “So, I ended up choosing five, and then I started to look deeper into it.”
Further research provided additional context.
“I saw the meanings of the No. 5, and it represented personal growth and change, which is kind of what I wanted to embody going into my career, just being somebody who stays in the gym and continues to grow as a person and a player,” Clifford said. “And then, biblically, it represented God’s grace and kindness, so I definitely felt like it was a fitting number for myself.”
Kings general manager Scott Perry touted Clifford as “a very talented and versatile basketball player, saying: “He can play multiple positions in this game on the perimeter, not only on the offensive end, but he gives you that defensive versatility, too, because we really believe he’s going to be able to match up just about anywhere on the perimeter from a defensive standpoint.”
Clifford is a 6-foot-6 ½, 202-pound shooting guard/small forward who averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals as a senior at Colorado State. He shot 49.6% from the field and 37.7% from 3-point range.
Clifford earned 2025 All-Mountain West Conference first-team and defensive team honors. He scored a career-high 36 points against Boise State in his final regular season game and went on to win the Mountain West tournament MVP award.
“I wore five at my pro day, actually, so I’ve worn it once before and had a decent pro day, so I thought I’d give it a go, and we’re going to make it work,” Clifford said.
As for Fox, Clifford said: “There was a definitely great player that wore it, so there are high expectations on that number, but I’m ready.”