San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox will miss the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season as he recovers from an offseason hamstring injury.
Fox, who is entering his first full season with the Spurs, suffered this injury while working out with teammates in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League in July. At the time, the word surrounding Fox and this injury was quiet, and there didn't appear to be much concern.
However, the 27-year-old star canceled his Curry Brand tour with Under Armour in Asia, which led to speculation about how serious this injury was.
The Spurs remain optimistic about Fox's right hamstring injury and are operating on the side of caution entering training camp and the preseason.
“I mean, I feel good. I felt like I could've played a little bit ago, but they're not letting me. We're taking it day by day, but I feel great,” Fox told reporters in San Antonio on Monday. “I don't think preseason. I don't think I'll be ready for opening night. Well, I think I'm ready, but I don't have that expertise. We go off kind of how I feel, and like I said, I feel like I can go out there and play right now.
“I definitely won't be playing in the preseason, that's for sure. I don't think I'll be ready for opening night. But we're going to play it by ear. I feel like I can play right now.”
New Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson also chimed in on Fox's hamstring injury and claimed his starting point guard is “getting better” and doing more work on the court before the preseason. Johnson added that the organization will be “mindful” and won't rush him back onto the court until he is fully cleared by the team's medical personnel.
In 17 games with the Spurs last season after being traded by the Sacramento Kings, Fox averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. He only played in five games alongside Victor Wembanyama because of injuries, and the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder that effectively ended his season.
Fox saw his 2024-25 campaign cut short as well in March and underwent season-ending surgery to address tendon damage in his left pinky finger. This injury is fully healed and will not limit Fox whatsoever entering the 2025-26 season.
This offseason, the Spurs and Fox agreed to a four-year, $229 million max contract extension that keeps him with the franchise alongside Wembanyama through the 2029-30 NBA season.
Although he may be injured to begin his first full season with the Spurs, Fox is excited for what's to come with his young, dynamic team.
“This organization doesn't skip steps,” Fox said. “We know there will be growing pains, but at the end of the day, you would love to win while you have growing pains, rather than losing and trying to say you have moral victories. You want to win while still getting better as a team.”
The Spurs will get their first chance to write their wrongs from a season ago when they start the 2025-26 season on October 22, away from San Antonio against the Dallas Mavericks.
