De'Aaron Fox was recently part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to the San Antonio Spurs after seven seasons with the Sacramento Kings. He returned for a reunion on Friday night, and while you might expect that a former franchise player would be greeted warmly in his return, things were complicated by the fact that Fox was only dealt because he made perfectly clear he had no intention of signing a new long-term deal with the team.
Fox brought a lot of good times to a previously moribund Kings franchise, but he also had no problem leaving that franchise behind for what he thought were greener pastures. So naturally, Sacramento had some mixed feelings about his return.
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Kings fans right to give De'Aaron Fox a mixed reception in return to Sacramento
Fox received a mixed reaction during his first game back in Golden1 Center wearing a different jersey. While he was greeted to cheers, a portion of the fan base rained boos on their former All-Star.
De'Aaron Fox received a mostly positive ovation from Kings fans. A few boos but not much.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) March 8, 2025
Harrison Barnes did get a more overwhelmingly positive ovation. pic.twitter.com/n0NrXKFjIS
The team also aired a classy tribute video during the first timeout; the majority of fans booed rather than cheered but eventually gave their former star a standing ovation.
"I thought he handled it with class," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Fox's return via ESPN. "I thought he handled it like a professional, which is what we expected him to do. I thought he got into the flow as the game went on. He missed a lot of shots he usually makes. But he got to that normal kind of bounce and pep in his step. We saw him create advantages everywhere on the floor. As the game became basketball at some point, it was nice to see him out there playing and trusting his instincts."
The Kings managed to get the best of the Spurs, defeating them 120-107; Fox struggled throughout most of the matchup, finishing with 16 points while shooting 6-of-17 from the field and going 0-of-6 from behind the arc.
Fox's exit from Sacramento was tumultuous, to say the least. Reports indicated that the star guard was frustrated after the firing of head caoch Mike Brown. He eventually got what he wanted, being shipped out in the middle of the season to his destination of choice.
While fans may disapprove of how Fox left, one thing that can't be denied is Fox's impact on the franchise. He has a legitimate chance to go down as one of the greatest players in Kings history, having played a role in ending the franchise's long-standing playoff drought.