Though he wasn’t Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal, Rick Fox played a strong part in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ early 200s three-peat.
The point guard played alongside the two stars from 1997 to 2004, but was best known for his hard-nosed and fearless attitude towards opponents. Also playing with the Lakers’ rival Boston Celtics, Fox has career averages of 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, and had a star collegiate career at the University of North Carolina.
But in surprising news, it was recently reported that Fox is now making a run at politics in his native country of the Bahamas. The three-time champion will go after a seat in the government in the next election.
“Former NBA player Rick Fox announced he will run for a legislative seat in the Bahamas in next year’s general election,” ESPN news services wrote.
Fox Making A Run At Politics
After more than two decades since retiring from the NBA, Fox announced his plans to run for the legislative seat in a post on Facebook.
“As a candidate and as a leader for the Bahamas I will demand transparency, honesty, integrity while demanding a level of excellence from all of us,” Fox wrote in the post. “This is bigger than party politics. This is the Bahamas versus the world. Imagine a nation where every Bahamian feels secure, safe, empowered, and proud.”
Per ESPN, the island-chain nation has undergone heavy struggles over the past few years, including immigration concerns, severe Hurricanes, and reports of wide-ranging corruption.
The specifics of the seat Fox will run for are not yet clear, but the entrance into politics is just one of many non-basketball ventures the guard has explored in his post-retirement days.
Fox As A Player, 3x Champ With The Lakers
Fox was selected 24th overall in the 1991 NBA Draft from UNC. In his junior season, he was named to the All-ACC first team, and followed that up with an All-ACC third-team honor while winning the ACC tournament MVP in his senior year.
In the NBA with the Celtics, Fox took a few years to become a consistent starter. But after a couple of strong seasons, he went on to average double-digit scoring and at least four rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in all but one year from 1993 to 1997. But after six seasons on a lowly Boston team in the post-Larry Bird era, he joined the Lakers.
Again in Los Angeles, it took Fox a while to become a consistent starter. He finally found a significant role in the Lakers’ 2000 Finals run and became a constant next to Bryant and O’Neal in the lineup.
He played the role of the team’s starting point guard in the next two title-winning seasons, and but after the disappointments in 2003 and 2004, he retired from the game. In his 13 seasons, Fox played in all 82 games on five occasions. He had only three seasons in which he played less than 70 games, the sign of a stable player whom teams around the current NBA would love to have.
Along with helping the Lakers to three titles, one of the other most notable moments from his career was a dust-up with former Sacramento Kings player and current coach, Doug Christie. Fx was suspended for six games, but they still went on to win the title.
Along with acting, investing, and owning a professional gaming team, Fox’s latest venture in his post-playing days is politics.
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