The reigning NBA steals champ has Texas roots, and is eyeing a return to the playoffs alongside Wembanyama, Castle and company.
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs are on the clock for contention—not just for the future, but for the ongoing 2024-25 season too.
In perhaps the team’s most significant acquisition (non-Wemby division) since signing LaMarcus Aldridge a decade ago, the San Antonio Spurs traded for Sacramento’s 27-year-old point guard De’Aaron Fox, bringing an All-Star offensive presence and uniquely clutch instinct to a team looking to return to the playoffs.
Here’s what to know about Fox before he takes the court for the first time wearing the Silver & Black, which could happen as soon as Wednesday in Atlanta.
Swipa no swiping
His nickname “The Swipa” isn’t just a reference to the “Dora the Explorer” villain, but to Fox’s tenacious play that resulted in him tying MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the league lead in steals (150) last year.
Chris Paul is third all-time in steals and closing in on second, which means San Antonio will be creating new problems for opposing offenses already looking for ways to avoid the rim when guarded by NBA blocks leader Victor Wembanyama.
Of, and if you’re looking to follow the newest Spur on Instagram, look no further than his nickname: Fox’s handle is @swipathefox.
No stranger to Texas
Fox’s arrival to San Antonio puts him close to home: The point guard grew up in the Houston area, where he attended and played basketball at Cypress Lakes Hill School. He was a Naismith High School Player of the Year finalist and grabbed Texas Gatorade High School Player of the Year honors in 2016.
He went on to play a lone season at Kentucky, propelling the Wildcats to an Elite 8 appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament before Kentucky’s run came to an end against North Carolina. But he left his mark, scoring 39 points in a Sweet 16 victory over UCLA to set a then-tournament record for a freshman.
He’s entering his prime
Having just turned 27 in December but already in his eighth NBA season, Fox has veteran experience to go along with the fast-break explosiveness he’s earned a reputation for.
The No. 5 overall pick by the Kings in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fox has steadily improved his game each passing year. This season he’s posting averages of 25 points, five rebounds and 6.1 assists in 37 minutes per game, establishing him as likely the new No. 2 scorer for the Spurs behind Wembanyama.
His record-setting, 60-point outing against Minnesota in November is still the best scoring performance in an NBA game this season.
He’s also established a reputation for coming through when it matters most, having won the inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award in 2022, the first year that honor was given out. And he brings playoff experience to a young core that, barring Paul and Harrison Barnes, largely hasn’t tasted it.
He’s performed there, too. As a 25-year-old, Fox and the Kings went the distance against Golden State, with Sacramento’s young star averaging 27.4 points, 7.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in that round, which ultimately went the Warriors’ way.
A key addition on both ends of the floor
By all indications – and without seeing him on the court alongside Wemby, Stephon Castle and company – very well.
Fox’s offensive numbers speak for themselves but in the Spurs he joins the NBA’s leading shots-blocker (Wembanyama), a tried-and-true veteran nearing 2,700 career steals (Paul), and a pair of aggravating defenders who love to dance with opponents (Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle).
Throw Fox into that mix, and the Spurs have the potential to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, although the team will have to figure out a Rubik’s cube of a lineup.
“It is dynamic,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said about Fox. “We’re looking forward to adding him to the group and continuing to grow, and trying to maximize and help these guys play off each other.”
As scary a scorer as Fox is around the basket, however, his three-point shot (32.2% from the floor this year, 32.6% for his career) still leaves the Spurs with an offensive skill to find, whether through growth of its players or outside the organization.
For the short-term, though, Fox’s All-Star playmaking on both sides of the floor gives San Antonio a key asset, and perhaps the key addition to show they could be as good as the teams sitting immediately above them in the Western Conference in the play-in mix: Golden State, Sacramento, Dallas and Phoenix.
He’s a community guy
Spurs fans have seen legends on the floor, but they’ve also seen them among the community, from participating in basketball camps to becoming ambassadors for their city. Icons like Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili have come to call San Antonio home and regularly attend home games, while current players like Keldon Johnson and Sandro Mamukelashvili meet with some of their youngest fans at events.
Even when receiving his Rookie of the Year trophy last summer, Wembanyama did so at San Antonio College’s planetarium with wide-eyed kids in attendance, sticking around after for a presentation on dark matter.
Fox is no stranger to connecting with his neighbors, either, or even embarking on initiatives to help some of the most vulnerable among them. Not only has he returned to his East Texas home for youth basketball camps, but Fox – inspired by his mother’s battle – launched The Fox Whole Family Foundation and Breast Cancer Community Assist program to aid those contending with the disease. In 2019, he was awarded the Oscar Robertson Triple-Double winner to commemorate his work off the court.
Fox should fit right into that neighborly aspect of the Spurs Way.