De’Aaron Fox revealed at Kings practice Saturday that he drove home with a rather scrumptious souvenir Friday night after fans greeted the team at the Sacramento airport.
“An In-N-Out bag was thrown in my car,” Fox told reporters [h/t FOX40's Sean Cunningham]. “I think it was full. They say [the fan] was drunk.”
Kings fans flocked to the airport late Friday night to congratulate their favorite team on clinching its first playoff berth since 2006. Sacramento officially secured a top-six spot in the Western Conference standings with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Fox said he hadn’t experienced anything like that before as an NBA player. The passion of those Kings fans reminded him of when Kentucky Wildcats fans would camp outside to attend Big Blue Madness, a late-night practice to tip off every college basketball season.
“[The Kings] fan base can get rowdy and crazy. They really love the city, and they really love the team.”
Sacramento coach Mike Brown also felt the love from Kings fans on Friday.
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"It meant a lot," Brown told reporters. "It’s one o’clock in the morning on a Friday night. There are a lot of other things people could be doing. For them to come out to the airport and … just show the love and support for what we’ve all been a part of this season, it’s an amazing feeling.
"I would’ve loved to jump out of the car and hug everybody, but it might have caused our security to have a few heart attacks, so I stayed put."
The Kings have made it clear they are not satisfied with just a playoff appearance. But for now, the team will wrap up the regular-season schedule with five final games.
Let's just hope the fast food tossed into Fox's car wasn't prepared animal style.