Why Kings fans should boo De’Aaron Fox loudly when he returns to Sacramento Friday | Opinion
De’Aaron Fox jumped on the next train to San Antonio without shedding a tear for Sacramento, the place where he began his career.
Since then some Kings fans have sent themselves into a doom spiral, overthinking not only this season but the long term future of the franchise. This has made this new fan think: all this for De’Aaron Fox?
For more than a decade before De’Aaron Fox was drafted by the Kings in 2017, Kings fans craved a player that could put their beloved team on top. In his eight years as a King, fans directed a franchise player-sized portion of love toward Fox, who is no franchise player. He’s a role player, not deserving of the massive contract he would have commanded had the Kings made the fatal error of building the team around him.
Since Fox was traded a month ago, a disgruntled fanbase has been angry at the wrong people in this love triangle.
The love for Fox turned into toxicity aimed right at the Kings organization.
“The Kings not wanting to extend De’Aaron Fox is a clear sign they want to rebuild,” one X user said in January, when trade rumors first began to swirl. “I feel sorry for Kings fans. The team has been so bad for so long and when they are finally competitive again ownership wants to tear it down. It sucks.”
Fox earned a trust that every purple bleeding Kings fan willingly gave and rightfully so. He left us with some great memories. The five stages of grief run fast in sports, and it’s time we end it the only healthy way possible, by booing Fox all the way back to San Antonio after lighting the beam.
Kings fans are their worst enemy
The Kings fans need a mirror up to see how far gone they have become since Fox’s departure.
This became clear to me on Feb. 21 when the Golden State Warriors played at Golden 1 Center and I learned how obnoxious Warrior fans are and how deeply negative Kings fans have become. Miscue after miscue from the Kings during that game garnered a heckle from a man who was just a row above me in the cheap seats.
“You guys can’t do anything without De’Aaron,” and “that’s why De’Aaron wanted out” landed in my ears like nails to a chalkboard.
Sadly, too many Kings fans and media types have shared these same thoughts online and on the air. To share the same sentiment with one of our hated rivals, who quite frankly haven’t been in our situation for years now, shows how toxic we are being about the Fox trade and the future of the organization.
Looking through a sane lens, you’ll see a Kings team that made a trade with their leverage compromised by media leaks stating that Fox wanted to go to San Antonio. The Kings tried to gain whatever they could for Fox’s current value.
The Fox chapter closed with Kings fans reluctant to see it end, but guess what? The team has been winning and moving up the Western Conference standings. Its time to move on. We must cheer our team on and boo those who, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, are not like us.
We’re Kings fans at the end of the day
On Friday, a San Antonio team going in the opposite direction as the Kings is without Victor Webanyama, their star player who Fox was happy to join in a supporting role, will be playing in Sacramento. It will be Fox’s return in an opposing uniform. The first game after Fox and his agents forced Fox out of Sacramento.
Fox willfully walked away, saying one thing to Kings fans and another to San Antonio media. He walked away after pouting. He walked away after causing the Kings to lose the last game Mike Brown coached before the Kings fired him in late December.
When he’s towards the end of his career, looking back at his time in Sacramento, then maybe Sacramento should cheer and show Fox love. But for now, he doesn’t deserve a hero’s welcome.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
