There is not a lot of excitement surrounding the NBA lately, but Sacramento Kings fans got a little surprise on Tuesday afternoon via social media.
There are changes happening all over the NBA landscape during the current hiatus, and there is no exception for the players on the Sacramento Kings roster, particularly in their hair styles. We watched and chronicled the Harrison Barnes beard saga, and now it seems we have a ‘do change for one of the Kings’ most recognizable players.
What was once one of the more distinct hair styles in the league is no more, as we have confirmation that De’Aaron Fox has in fact shaved his head.
We were first alerted to the news by one of our friends on Twitter when he posted a picture of a clean-shaven Fox. When we asked him where the picture came from, he directed us over to a Kings-centric Facebook group where the photograph was shared by a Sacramento local. Then, a couple of hours later, the Kings official Instagram account posted the picture in question with the caption, “Yes, it’s real”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-tB1nvnFTH/
Quite a difference from his typical look. We’ve seen this before, though. If you go back in the archives for some De’Aaron Fox highlights on YouTube, you’ll see a short-haired guy that is almost unrecognizable until you watch his familiar style of play.
So how do we know that this is a current picture? The kind-of-sort-of more mature face is one thing, but the original picture shows Fox taking a photo inside of a Wal-Mart with a young lady wearing a mask over her face; a sign of the times. (Why Fox is out shopping and taking photos up-close with fans is another issue).
So why the sudden change? There is a likely explanation.
There are plenty of people around the world struggling with overgrown hair during the COVID-19 social distancing practices, and celebrities and athletes are no different. There are regular television personalities that are making appearances live from their homes with bushy manes and untamed sideburns. Our guess is that Fox has fallen victim to this himself, as his signature look is likely difficult to maintain without professional care.
Enter: razor.
Whoever he had do the fade did a nice job, so he was lucky to get stuck quarantining with someone who could at least do something for him. Or maybe he did it himself? It is hard to see the whole head in the picture, but it looks like it is lined up pretty nicely.
It will be interesting to see if Fox sticks with this new look when the NBA resumes play, whenever that will be.