It was 12:30 a.m. after San Antonio’s Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when De’Aaron Fox, dressed in Chelsea boots, gray slacks and a brown ribbed sweater over a collared shirt, opted out of an optional team dinner. The 28-year-old, referred to as the “old man” of the Spurs’ young core, told teammates “It’s already 12:30. I will not be at the dinner… We can do brunch tomorrow,” according to ESPN.
Fox has built a strict routine over nine NBA seasons and says that steadiness off the court makes him more consistent on it. He told ESPN that keeping his life steady helps him stay “levelheaded” and less prone to erratic play, whether he is making shots or not. Fox also has been playing through a high right ankle sprain that has limited him since Game 4 against the Wolves on May 10, according to ESPN.
More than a year ago Fox was traded by the Sacramento Kings, the only franchise he had played for in his first eight NBA seasons, to the Spurs. The move shifted him from a ball-dominant role to a team built around Victor Wembanyama, a transition that has required adjustment. Fox said he felt he could “come in, fall in line” but that teammates encouraged him to be himself; “there are times where I do that, and then there are times where I want to make sure everybody’s touching the ball,” he told ESPN.
Fox’s leadership during the back end of that transition has been highlighted as a factor for San Antonio as it pursues the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The series between the Spurs and Thunder was tied 2-2 entering Game 5 on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC, according to ESPN.
Off the court, Fox’s wife, Recee, who moved to San Antonio at age 10 and was a McDonald’s All American, has her own basketball résumé that includes playing at UCLA, Texas Tech and California, a WNBA training-camp stint with the Seattle Storm and player-development internships with the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN. The couple, married in 2022, now balance parenting duties with basketball; Fox even worked out during their honeymoon in Italy and they cut the trip short so he could prepare for the upcoming season, per ESPN.
