Ever since the Sacramento Kings dismissed Mike Brown from his seat as head coach a couple of weeks ago, much has been made about what led to this decision.
Many people have wondered whether the team's star guard, De'Aaron Fox, may have had something to do with the firing. After all, Brown was very critical of his foul late in their game against the Detroit Pistons that ended up costing them the win and ultimately marked Brown's last game with the Kings.
Fox and sources close to the team have vehemently denied these rumors. But just because a rumor is denied doesn't mean that it is necessarily true. Plus, Malik Monk had some comments a few days ago that suggested that Brown was struggling to get his message across to players.
However, an Instagram post from Wednesday may be evidence that the parties involved are, in fact, telling the truth.
De'Aaron Fox and Mike Brown were recently out to dinner together
On Wednesday, the restaurant Q1227 (located in Roseville, California) posted a photo on their Instagram of their executive chef (Quentin Bennett) at their establishment with Fox and Brown.
Unless this is an old post, De'Aaron Fox and former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown spent some time together in Roseville recently. pic.twitter.com/NUDts0z239
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) January 9, 2025
The photo was accompanied by a caption that read, "About last night! Nothing like witnessing friends on and off the court @q1227restaurant - the heart of comfort & the soul of togetherness. recee_fox @swipathefox @chefqculinary #coachmikebrown."
While the phrase "About last night!" doesn't guarantee that the two were out to dinner together last night, it is hard to find more verification of their whereabouts on Tuesday than that. It also makes sense from a scheduling perspective, as the Kings are in the middle of a three-day break before their next game against the Boston Celtics (on Friday, January 10).
Anyway, if Fox and Brown had such a terrible relationship that the Kings had to choose between one or the other, why would they be out to dinner together after the coach was fired? Also, why would they allow Bennett/the restaurant to take that picture and make that post if they weren't comfortable with the basketball world (and the foodie world) knowing that they are still friends?
There have been a lot of times in sports where a player and coach have butt heads, and it led to one of the individuals losing their job. However, this photo makes it seem like this was genuinely not one of those situations.