After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs secured their spot in the NBA Finals. While a matchup against the New York Knicks sees history repeat for the Spurs, it will also be a blast from the past for De’Aaron Fox, as he faces his former head coach, Mike Brown, on the biggest stage.
De’Aaron Fox’s relationship with Mike Brown dates back to his days with the Sacramento Kings. Brown played a pivotal role in turning Fox into a star-caliber player, even helping the Kings emerge as a playoff team in a competitive Western Conference during his brief tenure.
When speaking about Brown with Andscape back in December, De’Aaron Fox had nothing but praise for the Knicks’ head coach, as he commented:
“Mike is family. It’s dope to see him in New York. For one, the Knicks are already a good team. He just elevates them. Their aspirations are to win a championship. And I feel like that is what they brought him in there to do.”
“They have the talent. They didn’t change the talent. You see that early on in their season [with their success]. He’s a championship coach.”
Although many things have changed since then, De’Aaron Fox’s opinion of Brown has remained the same. During a recent press conference, the Spurs’ guard praised Brown again, stating:
“I think the biggest thing is just how open he is. That’s from like an organizational standpoint. Whenever he came in, he was like, ‘I want the entire organization to be aligned, from ownership to the front office, coaching staff, players, and medical staff.'”
“Whenever you have that, and I’ve seen it since I’ve been here [San Antonio], and I’m like, ‘That’s probably where he got it from.’ That’s why he wants to do it that way… That’s what makes a team good,” he continued. “Whenever you have it from a foundational standpoint, you give yourself a chance year in and year out.”
With Mike Brown at the helm, the Knicks not only ended the season as one of the best teams in the East (53-29), but they also beat the Spurs in the NBA Cup Finals to emerge as champions. Now, with Brown elevating the Knicks further, his impact is evident.
As positive as De’Aaron Fox’s takeaway of playing for Mike Brown was, the Knicks’ head coach shared an equally heartwarming remark about Fox while speaking with the media.
“Just a great human being, first of all,” he said about Fox. “I enjoyed my time being around him as a human first, and then he is talented. The sky is the limit for him. He will give it to you on both ends of the floor. He’s a game changer. Obviously, in big moments, he knows how to come up big, and that’s how he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. So, fantastic player and fantastic human being.”
The pairing of De’Aaron Fox and Mike Brown on the Sacramento Kings displayed a lot of promise, especially as the team secured a playoff berth in the 2022-23 season, their first since the 2005-06 season. Although this was unfortunately cut short 31 games into the 2024-25 season due to Brown’s dismissal, both find themselves in better positions now.
Although there is nostalgia between Brown and Fox going into this NBA Finals matchup, it is apparent that neither will pull any punches. With both looking to secure a title with their respective teams, the showdown between the Knicks and the Spurs is bound to be an exciting one.
