The Sacramento Kings will host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night as they look to get back on track after Wednesday's loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Of course, Friday's game marks the first time De'Aaron Fox has faced off against the Kings since they traded him ahead of the trade deadline, and he recently opened up about his departure with ESPN's Michael Wright.
First off, Fox stated that he wanted to stay with the Kings for his entire career as he loved Sacramento and their fanbase.
"I loved it," Fox said of Sacramento. "Everybody bled purple. Everybody there was extremely kind. And when we started winning, then it was 'light the beam' everywhere. You really felt it around the city. So, it was definitely a great place to be for as long as I was."
Things then changed between Fox and the Kings when they decided to fire head coach Mike Brown in December, despite Fox's attempt to have Sacramento keep Brown after they signed him to a contract extension before the season.
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown talks with guard De'Aaron Fox © Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images © Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
"I was like, 'Yo, I've been here for going on my eighth year. If Mike gets fired, I'll be going on my fifth coach,'" Fox said. "And I told them, 'I'm not going to play for another coach. I'm going to play for another team.'"
Of course, the Kings then decided to move on from Brown in December, but they did not address the media publicly about his firing until 40 days later, which led to Fox receiving most of the blame despite he and Brown's great relationship.
"You fire the coach, and you don't do an interview?" Fox said. "So, all the blame was on me. Did it weigh on me? No. I don't give a (expletive). But the fact y'all are supposed to be protecting your player and y'all let that happen. I felt at the time the organization didn't have my back."
This was the final straw for Fox, but despite this, he said that he never approached the Kings about the possibility of a trade, and they instead approached him.
Sacramento then sent Fox to his preferred destination of San Antonio at the trade deadline, ending his eight-year run with the Kings.
Fox will now return to Sacramento on Friday for the first time in an opposing team's jersey and it will interesting to see how the fans react to his return.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 11:37 AM.