De’Aaron Fox says the quiet part out loud in postgame presser after another frustrating loss

Addressing the media is a responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete, especially one of Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox’s caliber. 

Players have an unwritten obligation to speak with reporters on behalf of the organization and for the fans, but it’s not something they enjoy doing. It is not something that they get paid to do. Fox made that abundantly clear in his postgame press conference after Tuesday night’s brutal 132-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

De’Aaron Fox gets ‘no joy’ out of postgame press conferences

“I don’t get nothing out of that. They ask me, I do it,” Fox said. “They don’t give a f*** if I come up here and talk,” he added. 

After losing a critical home matchup against the Mavericks with massive postseason implications in the Western Conference, Fox could have taken a different approach to his response. Instead, he lightened the mood with candid and funny comments, saying what everyone thinks about postgame press conferences.

“I get no joy in this after a win or a loss. My team doesn’t care if I come up here in a blowout win or a blowout loss,” Fox said.

No one forces Fox to go up to the podium and speak after the game against his will, regardless of the circumstance, especially after a night where he struggled. But the burden typically falls on the shoulders of star players, and he is undoubtedly the face of the Kings franchise alongside big man Domantas Sabonis.

Fox scored 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting, adding five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 32 minutes of action.

The loss on Tuesday night broke the tie for sixth place in the West between Dallas and Sacramento, giving the former a one-game lead for the final guaranteed playoff spot and relegating the latter to NBA Play-In Tournament status. 

However, the Kings hold the tiebreaker over the Mavs because they’re 2-1 in their head-to-head matchups, but the fourth and final meeting between the two teams is Mar. 29. The winner of that game will likely be in the driver’s seat to earn a top-six seed in the conference.