De’Aaron Fox is on the move.
After eight seasons of wearing a Kings uniform, Fox was traded to the Spurs on Sunday night in a deal that also sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
It will be a new beginning for the 27-year-old Fox, who’s become one of the NBA’s top two-way guards. However, before he can get on the court and create an intriguing star duo with Victor Wembanyama, Fox may need to make a change to his jersey number.
Here’s why Fox could be switching from his former No. 5 as he heads to San Antonio, as well as the reasoning behind why the guard has traditionally worn the number.
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What number will De’Aaron Fox wear with the Spurs?
For his entire Kings tenure, Fox wore No. 5. However, that could soon change.
Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle, who the team selected fourth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, currently wears No. 5. If Fox is going to wear his usual number, Castle would have to change his.
Originally, Castle was a key young player who came up in conversations regarding a potential Fox-to-San-Antonio deal. In order to provide fair value for an All-Star guard to pair with Wembanyama, it seemed possible that the Spurs would have to move on from their 2024 first-round selection.
Instead, San Antonio pulled off the deal without including Castle. That will create a minor jersey number controversy to solve, though. If Castle is keeping No. 5, Fox could show interest in taking No. 0, the jersey number he wore at Kentucky. The issue there is that Keldon Johnson already wears No. 0 for the Spurs.
If Fox is going to stick with any of his traditional jersey numbers, one of San Antonio’s younger players would have to switch.
Why does De’Aaron Fox wear No. 5?
Fox wore No. 5 in high school, per NBA.com, and was also selected by the Kings fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.
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