De’Aaron Fox reflects on a memorable year–both on and off the court

May 3, 2023, 8:53 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 29: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the ga...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

As players head out to enjoy their respective summer destinations, De’Aaron Fox will be staying put in Sacramento as he has a new house built.

The 25-year-old sat down in front of the media at Golden 1 Center for his end-of-season media availability on Monday–a process that usually follows a disappointing season of Sacramento Kings basketball.

But that wasn’t the case in 2022-23. Not at all.

“It was something out of a movie,” Fox said of his memorable year that included the birth of his son, Reign, several individual accolades, the end of the Kings’ playoff drought, and reunion with good friend Malik Monk.

“I definitely think year 25 for me was probably the best year that I’ve had in my life. I want to keep this feeling going.”

Fox secured his first-ever NBA All-Star appearance during a season that saw Sacramento snap its 16-season postseason drought. Not only did the Kings qualify for the playoffs, but they did so by claiming its first Pacific Division title since 2003 while securing a top-three seed in the Western Conference.

While Sacramento’s 48-34 record put them in a top-three seed in the standings, they would have to face the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the first round. The Kings jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but two-time MVP Stephen Curry and the Warriors came out on top in a highly-watched seven-game series.

“This was a big step in the right direction,” Fox said of Sacramento’s seven-game playoff series loss to Golden State. “Playing that team was a blessing and a curse. I’m glad that they were able to teach us that lesson.”

During his first NBA Playoff appearance, Fox shined, averaging 27.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists during seven hard-fought games. While Sacramento was within two-quarters of advancing to the second round, the star guard said he wants to remember the pain of this loss.

“This is probably the first time that the season ended I was upset. The first time that the season ending was hurtful,” Fox said. “You want that sting to last and help you build towards the future.”

Fox, the first-ever Clutch Player of the Year winner, ended the season as the NBA’s leader in clutch points (194), field goals made (72), field goal percentage (53%), paint points (88), and usage rate (43%).

Scoring in the fourth was seemingly effortless for Fox, who finished just four points shy of Kyrie Irving (551) for the most points scored in the fourth quarter this season.

Fox–who was also first-time All-Star in 2022-23–finished the season with averages of 25.0 points, 4.2 rebounds (career-high), 6.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range.

While the Kings fell short in their return to the NBA Playoffs, the future is bright as Fox will take this year and build off of it in the future alongside a young, exciting core.

Kings fans already knew about De’Aaron Fox’s impact. Now the rest of the basketball world has taken notice.