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 will have to make change to his jersey number.
Here's why Fox will 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.
SN's NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule
What number will De'Aaron Fox wear with the Spurs?
Fox will wear No. 4 with the Spurs, Don Harris of News 4 San Antonio reported Monday.
The report represented a flip from No. 2, which Harris reported as Fox's choice earlier in the day. Instead, the newest star in San Antonio will wear No. 4 in honor of his wife Recee, who wore that number during her playing career. She played in the McDonald's All-American game in 2014, then played at UCLA and Texas Tech
Breaking News from the Uniform Czar. De'Aaron Fox has changed his mind. He will wear #4 in honor of his wife Recee'. San Antonio's own was a McDonald's All American at Johnson High School and wore #4 at Texas Tech. pic.twitter.com/0rUxsXmgee
— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) February 3, 2025
For his entire Kings tenure, Fox wore No. 5. However, Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle, who the team selected fourth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, currently wears No. 5, meaning he would have had to switch numbers if Fox wanted to keep his former number.
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 created a minor jersey number controversy to solve, though; Castle will now keep No. 5, with Fox claiming No. 4.
Why did De'Aaron Fox wear No. 5 with the Kings?
Fox wore No. 5 in high school, per NBA.com, and was also selected by the Kings fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Spurs players to wear No. 4
With Fox set to wear No. 4 with the Spurs, he'll join a list of 12 other players that have worn the number in San Antonio — including Steve Kerr, now head coach of the Warriors.
Here's the full list of players to wear No. 4 with the Spurs, according to Basketball Reference:
- Jeff Congdon, 1972
- John Paxson, 1984-1985
- Byron Dinkins, 1991
- Devin Gray, 1997
- Darrin Hancock, 1997
- Reggie Geary, 1998
- Steve Kerr, 1999-2001
- Sean Marks, 2005
- Michael Finley, 2006-2010
- Danny Green, 2011-2014
- Derrick White, 2018-2022
- Devonte' Graham 2023-2024
MORE FOX-LaVINE TRADE:
- De'Aaron Fox-Zach LaVine trade grades
- Latest updates on De'Aaron Fox's Spurs debut
- How De'Aaron Fox's contract impacts Spurs salary cap