De'Aaron Fox Denies 'Bulls--t' Rumors of Rift with Former Kings HC Mike Brown

Sacramento Kings star De'Aaron Fox disputed the idea he had issues with head coach Mike Brown or helped to orchestrate Brown's ouster.

"There was never any push back about anything," he said Monday on X. "This narrative of us butting heads or me going to management saying anything is bulls--t. So you can run with that if you want to."

Fox was responding to comments by former NBA guard Lou Williams on FanDuel TV's Run It Back. Williams reported "there was just some pushback from how De'Aaron Fox was continuously being singled out."

Even assuming Fox didn't have a direct role in the decision to fire Brown, fans connected some pretty straightforward dots.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Anthony Slater reported on Dec. 21 that Fox's agent, Rich Paul, had recently met with Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox to get a read on their plans to move the franchise forward. The implications were clear with Fox eligible to become a free agent in 2026.

Less than a week later, Sacramento made a coaching change.

Slater and Amick examined the multiple factors that led to Brown's exit. Among the issues was how the coach's penchant for challenging his players, Fox included, in public and behind closed doors was starting to wear thin.

During a practice a day before the firing was announced, Brown and Fox had a long conversation that wasn't heated and seemed to end cordially enough.

One presumes it was mostly or entirely in relation to Fox's foul on Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey that resulted in a four-point play for the Pistons. That mistake was the difference in Sacramento's 114-113 loss to Detroit.

If nothing else, Fox didn't sound heartbroken by the fact Brown got fired. He was matter-of-fact when addressing the situation and pointed to how the veteran coach will continue to get paid thanks to the contract extension he signed in the summer.

It's not as though this is the first controversial or puzzling decision the Kings have made during the stewardship of team governor Vivek Ranadivé. Doug Christie is the eighth coach Sacramento has hired on an interim or permanent basis since Ranadivé took control in May 2013.

Dysfunction has long been the norm rather than the exception.

Still, concluding that Brown would still be around if he and Fox were on solid footing together doesn't feel like a big stretch.