After spending nearly a decade in Sacramento, it wasn’t easy for De’Aaron Fox to find the best words for him to say goodbye to the Kings organization. However, the guard hadn’t extended with his former team during the summer and many believe he was ready to start a new chapter with another NBA club.
In a way, you could say his wish was finally granted, especially as sources close to the player suggested that his preferred destination was to land in San Antonio, and play next to Victor Wembanyama. As the player headed to Texas, the 27-year-old wrote a farewell message to everyone in Sacramento.
De’Aaron delivered special praise to Kings fans for their support during his 8 years with the club. “I can’t quite find the words to express what I want to say, but thank you. Coming in as a 19-year-old kid and leaving as a 27-year-old man, I’m grateful I got to spend the beginning of my young adulthood here. The love for the city is unmatched,” he posted.
First look at De'Aaron Fox in his Spurs threads 🦊🔥
(via @spurs) pic.twitter.com/XvO1CiTXXF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2025
According to the one-time All-Star, he wanted to retire in a Kings jersey. “To the fans — y’all deserve the best. I wanted to end my career here and never expected it would end this way, but I’ll always be grateful for your support,” Fox wrote on his social media account.
During his tenure in Sacramento, the Louisiana native averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest. An interesting fact is that he averaged a steal per match in each one of his eight years in the NBA, except for last season, when he led the league with 2.0 steals per game.
Two years ago, he conquered the NBA Clutch Player of the Year, earned his first and only All-Star selection, and finally became a third-time All-NBA player that campaign. Standing at 6-foot-3, De’Aaron became the franchise’s historic fourth leader in both points and assists, and second in steals.
Back in December, Fox expressed how badly he wanted to compete for titles during his career. “I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try to win in the future, because that’s ultimately what I want to do,” Fox said to Draymond Green on his podcast. “For me, it’s: Are we looking like we’re continuing to get better year after year, and are we going to be able to compete at a high level?”
