De'Aaron Fox plans to play through a broken finger in Game 5. Kobe Bryant did it for a whole postseason.
Kings star De’Aaron Fox says today that he plans to play in Game 5 vs. Warriors while dealing with the fractured left index finger on shooting hand. https://t.co/Klgac1DN77
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2023
The Kings announced that Fox suffered an avulsion fracture to the fingertip of his left index finger. That means that a muscle in that finger detached from a small piece of bone. That's his shooting hand, which is why Fox spent time Tuesday putting up shots with a splint on the injured finger.
An extended look at De'Aaron Fox concluding Kings practice on Tuesday afternoon with his typical shooting session with assistant coach Luke Loucks, as he tries to adjust to the splint on his fractured left index finger on his shooting hand. pic.twitter.com/fEjixawYB8
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) April 25, 2023
Kobe Bryant suffered a similar injury in the 2009-10 season, and played the entire postseason with a fractured finger. He got by with a splint before ditching it in favor of a tape job by the Lakers' trainer.
Kobe Bryant won a championship with a broken finger on his hand though. ☕️ pic.twitter.com/ejmX1VVHNT
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) April 26, 2016
Bryant averaged 29.2 points and 5.5 assists in that playoff run, culminating in his second straight NBA title. Fox has averaged 31.5 points in Kings' first-round series, but they'd take a 29 and five game from Fox when the series returns to Sacramento.
Fox's shooting, ability to handle the ball and his pain tolerance will determine how much he can play Wednesday night. On the plus side, he scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds after breaking the finger midway through the fourth quarter. He also hit a deep three-pointer to cut the Warriors' lead to a single point.
De’Aaron Fox hit this clutch three with a broken finger pic.twitter.com/m1LK9pSmFb
— Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) April 24, 2023
Hitting a clutch shot with a painfully broken finger? That's called Mamba Mentality. If Fox comes back to beat the Warriors, we might have to call it Fox Fortitude.
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