San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie, the team said.
Fox suffered the tendon damage during training camp in October while with the Sacramento Kings and played through the ailment all season.
For the Spurs and Fox, the decision to undergo surgery now was made to expedite the healing process and gain offseason chemistry with the roster based on his recovery. The team said it expects him to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of next season.
Fox joined the Spurs from the Kings at the NBA trade deadline and ended up playing 17 games for San Antonio. His best game for the Spurs — 32 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds and a steal — came Wednesday night in a 126-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks in San Antonio.
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In 62 games for the Spurs and Kings, Fox averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. He posted the only 60-point game of the season on Nov. 15 against the Minnesota Timberwolves — which set the Kings' franchise record for points in a contest.
Fox and Lakers star Luka Doncic are the only two players to average 20 points, 5 assists and 1 steal in each of the past six seasons, per ESPN Research.
The Spurs (27-37) are already without star center Victor Wembanyama and coach Gregg Popovich for the rest of the season. Wembanyama was shut down in February due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Popovich suffered what the team called a «mild stroke» in November and hasn't coached since.
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