De'Aaron Fox earns first NBA All-Star nod, joins Domantas Sabonis in Utah

Well deserved.

The news came as the Kings were on the court for the morning walk through. De’Aaron Fox, NBA All-Star.

It has been a busy few days for the Kings’ 25-year-old point guard. He and his wife Recee added baby Reign to the family last week. He missed a pair of games while camping out in a hospital room in Houston.

For years, Fox has held firm that personal accolades would come with team success. While it took the process of injury replacements to get his name into next weekend’s events in Salt Lake City, the final outcome is all that matters.

“It feels good,” Fox said after shootaround. “I think it should have happened already, but I’m appreciative, for sure.”

Fox was sixth amongst Western Conference guards in aggregate score between fans, players and media voting when teams were announced. The top five were in the game and he was one of the last names left off the list.

Commissioner Adam Silver rectified that situation on Friday when he named Fox, along with T-Wolves guard Anthony Edwards and Raptors big man Pascal Siakam as injury replacements for Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson and Kevin Durant.

Fox joins Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who was named to the team last month. This marks the first time since the 2003-04 season, when Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic earned invites, that Sacramento will have a pair of players in the All-Star game.

“It’s great, it’s a testament,” guard Kevin Huerter said. “Obviously, it shows the success of the whole team all year and those guys deserve it.”

One All-Star spot is great for an individual, but to Huerter’s point, a team having two All-Stars points to an entire squad having success. If the Kings weren’t sitting in third place in the Western Conference, this likely would not have happened.

This isn’t just a celebration for players. This is also a huge moment for general manager Monte McNair, who took an incredible gamble last February when he traded star young guard Tyrese Haliburton for Sabonis.

While Haliburton has gone on to make the Eastern Conference All-Star team, McNair’s move created a world in which the Kings could maximize the talents of both Fox and Sabonis. That may not have been the case without a bold move.

“Those two guys, they’re the engines that make us go,” McNair said during his post trade deadline press conference on Friday.

At the nudging of his wife and family, Fox intends to pack up his growing family and make a trip out of it. Whether he is prepared for traveling with a newborn or not is a question for another day, but this is something that he will be able to share with his new son down the road.

While chatting with the media, Fox may have let something slip that he shouldn’t have about the upcoming All-Star festivities.

“I don’t know what team has as many guys as we have that’s going to be there that weekend,” Fox said. “I think it’s fantastic for us. We have four guys in our starting lineup that’s going to be part of All-Star weekend.”

When asked about who those four are, Fox pointed to himself, Domas and rookie Keegan Murray, who is part of the Rising Stars game. He then mentioned Huerter and the 3-point shootout.

“Oh shit, I thought he was, no, yes? Did I just spoil something?” Fox said with a huge smile. “Did I break news?”

Fox continued on to say he wasn’t sure of anything, although his comments are now out there as part of public record.

Whether Huerter makes it or not is unknown at this point, but the fact that Sacramento is back on the NBA map is an incredible achievement for everyone involved. Winning cures all. Or at least it gets you invitations to All-Star weekend.

The Kings are focused on their playoff push and many of these players could use the upcoming All-Star break. The recognition is great, but they have much bigger goals ahead of them.