Fox cherishes ‘blessing’ of joining NBA’s 10K-point club originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – De’Aaron Fox didn’t make much of a fuss after inking his name in the Kings’ record books. For the NBA All-Star point guard, helping Sacramento get its first win of the season was far more important.
Fox joined an elite club when he became the fifth player in franchise history – and second in the Sacramento era – to score 10,000 points in his career in the third quarter of the Kings’ 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at Golden 1 Center.
It was a moment definitely worth celebrating but one that Fox had kind of lost track of until he scored in the third quarter to reach the milestone. That it came during a victory for the Kings just added a little sweetness to it all.
“I forgot that I was actually that close but to do it at home and obviously to do it in a win makes it even that much more special,” Fox said. “Not a lot of people get to do that. The average span of an NBA career is like 3 ½ (years), like literally one contract. So being able to be blessed to be in the league that long and being able to put the ball in the basket that many times, definitely a blessing.”
Fox, 26, had been building toward this ever since the Kings grabbed him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Fox’s scoring average increased over his first three seasons, and he’s been averaging better than 24 points a game over the past six seasons.
Against Portland, Fox had an uneven night shooting – 9 of 20 overall, 2 of 8 on 3-pointers – but still made a big enough impact to help Sacramento get out of town with a win.
Afterward, Kings coach Mike Brown marveled at the work that his veteran point guard has put in over the years.
“Man, what a career,” Brown said. “What he’s done for the city of Sacramento, for the organization, at such a young age to score his 10,000th point, that should definitely be celebrated. That’s a neat milestone to hit at this point in his career.”