Big game puts De'Aaron Fox in same company as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan

On Saturday, after losing an overtime thriller to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sacramento Kings hosted the Utah Jazz.

Along with being gassed from the night before, the Kings were also depleted, playing without Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk (three of their five best players). Even against the lowly Jazz (who were 3-8 heading into the game), this seemed like a recipe for disaster.

However, the Kings still had De'Aaron Fox, and that's all they needed, as Fox scored 49 points on 63.9% true shooting en route to a 121-117 win against the Jazz (pushing the Kings' record to 8-6).

This outcome is notable for more than just the fact that it pushes the Kings another step closer to their goal of returning to the playoffs this year.

De'Aaron Fox joins rarified air

If you recall, against the Timberwolves, Fox scored 60 points – the most points in a single game in franchise history. That means that in the last two games, Fox has scored a total of 109 points.

That's a LOT of points. So many points that, according to the good people at Stathead, it has only happened 15 times since the merger (we cite post-merger occurrences to filter out all the bonkers performances put together by Wilt Chamberlain back in the day).

Outside of Fox, the only other players to score at least 109 points in two games (since the merger) are James Harden (four times), Kobe Bryant (five times), Michael Jordan (twice), Damian Lillard (twice), and Devin Booker (once).

For Fox, that is wild company to be a part of, particularly being mentioned in the same vein as Bryant and Jordan (two players many current NBA players view as role models). It's also got to feel good for the Kings to get this kind of production from Fox after missing out on the Bryant sweepstakes all those years ago.

Outside of Fox, all of those players have been selected to an All-NBA First Team at least once in their career. Harden, Bryant, and Jordan have all also won the MVP award at least once.

The closest Fox has come to either of these accolades is the All-NBA Third Team nomination he received in 2022-23. But if he keeps playing at his current pace, that will change real