De’Aaron Fox explains why he’s been taping his fingers this season

Oct 31, 2024, 9:23 AM | Updated: 9:27 am

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after he was ca...

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings (2-2) have brushed off a rough start to the season with two straight wins, but the star guard has turned some heads early for other reasons.

Some fans have noticed that Fox, an All-Star and All-NBA guard in 2022-23, has been taping his pinky and ring fingers on his left hand—his shooting and dominant hand—to begin the regular season.

Following Tuesday night’s win over the Utah Jazz, Fox gave Kings play-by-play radio voice Gary Gerould an explanation of what is going on with his injured fingers:

Gerould: “I’ve seen all along that on your shooting, your left hand, the fourth finger and pinky finger have been taped together. How much of a problem is that in trying to maintain your shooting stroke?”

Fox: “I mean, definitely by being on the dominant hand, it’s something, but it kind of happened, like, the second or third day of training camp, so at this point, I’ve been taping my finger the whole season. Unless we get a month off at some point, you know, it’s going to be here to stay.”

While Fox may be playing through jammed fingers or another ailment (the Kings have not listed an injury designation for Fox through their first four games), his play hasn’t reflected someone being limited by an injury.

The eighth-year guard has averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 steals on 46 percent shooting from the field during Sacramento’s 2-2 start to the season.

Fox and the Kings are no strangers to handling injuries throughout the course of a season. Over the past two seasons alone, Fox has navigated ankle and shoulder injuries to remain active, playing in 73 games in 2022-23 and 74 last season.

There is no reason for concern with Fox’s fingers, but expect to see his left hand taped up for the foreseeable future as Sacramento looks to find its footing during the early portion of its schedule.

More on Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox

Another day, another milestone for Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox.

One game removed from tallying his 10,000th career point, Fox secured the 671st steal of his career during Tuesday night’s win over the Utah Jazz, breaking a tie with Hall of Fame guard and Kings legend Mitch Richmond for the third-most in franchise history.

Fox, who led the NBA in steals (150) and steals per game (2.0) last season, has been an effective defender over the past couple of seasons with former Sacramento guard Doug Christie on the bench as an assistant coach.

Christie, a four-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams during his time in a Kings uniform, is the lone player ahead of Fox on the Sacramento era (1985-present) steals list with 717 for his career.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will continue its four-game road trip on Friday night when they face Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.

With a win, the Kings (2-2) would secure its third-straight win after starting the season in an 0-2 hole.

Be sure to catch all of the action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 4:30 PM PDT from downtown Atlanta.