NBA champion Rick Fox is thinking about running in the next election.
Fox, who appeared as a guest on the Guardian Radio talk show “Talking Heads” with hosts Naughty and MJ, said he has also met with both the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Free National Movement (FNM) about possibly joining one of them.
Asked if he’s thinking about running, Fox said, “I think about it. I talked about how much attention you are putting on something in your life. I would say six months ago I was thinking about it 30 minutes a week. Now, every 30 seconds.
“That’s because there is an urgency. The people I speak with the most are the next generation, people that are 20, 25, 30, 35, 40. The thing I get from them is that they aren’t for the idea of politics anymore.
“They are not caught up in the color, the party, the this, the that. They either aren’t voting, which breaks my heart because that means they have checked out, or they are looking to vote for the right person to represent them in their constituency, and they are not on this party line talk.
“I just hope they don’t actually lose hope.”
The Nassau Guardian was told that FNM Leader Michael Pintard personally met with Fox and asked him to run for the party in Garden Hills.
“I’ve spoken to both parties (PLP and FNM),” Fox said yesterday.
“I have a relationship with the current prime minister, so that’s an easy conversation that’s been going on now for many years, all the way back to when he was deputy prime minister. So that’s an easy conversation. I’ve at times reached out to him for guidance and in mentorship in the area of what it’s like to be a politician.
“His advice was, ‘The people will tell you if you are right for frontline politics.’”
He added, “I’ve met with the opposition leader, Michael, and we’ve had conversations. Between those two parties, I’m getting to know them.”
Fox said yesterday that Pintard has been the most aggressive in pursuing him.
Sources in the FNM said that the party was not keen on Fox representing Garden Hills because FNM Chairman Duane Sands is eyeing the seat.
Yesterday, Pintard had no comment when asked about the meeting with Fox.
In 2022, Fox was appointed ambassador at large for sports. His father is a Bahamian.
In November 2022, Davis announced the government signed a memorandum of understanding with Rick Fox’s sustainable building development company, Partanna Bahamas, to build up to 1,000 green homes over the next 10 years.
With a promise to provide 100 jobs for Bahamians in the green development space, Partanna Bahamas intends to design, develop, finance and construct 30 affordable homes for the government of The Bahamas during an initial pilot phase, the government said at the time.
Fox lamented yesterday that the company is doing more business internationally than at home.
If Fox decides to enter the political arena, he would be the second ambassador to do so.
Island Luck CEO Sebas Bastian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to Central America, is seeking the Progressive Liberal Party’s nomination for Fort Charlotte.
A general election is constitutionally due in 2026.