Throwback Thursday: The Incredibly Stylish Rick Fox

When one thinks of the Laker teams of the '90s and early 2000's, the players that often come in mind, that is along with the Shaq and Kobe tandem, are usually Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, and a wiser AC Green. However, Laker fans will never forget the stylish and always cool Rick Fox.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Blake-Reuters

Fox was a product of the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team who he had helped lead to the Final Four back in 1991. At the end of the same year, He was eventually drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 24th overall pick of the first round. Many fans in Los Angeles have clearly brushed off the part of his history where he actually played six years with the despicable Celtics, dawning his soon-forgotten number 44 jersey.

In the summer of 1997, the Celtics released Fox and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up the 6'7'' small forward. In Tinseltown, Fox found his true home and became a fan favorite with his solid shooting and perimeter defense, all of which were accompanied by a nice smile, grin, or casual gum chewing after some exceptional plays.

During his time with the purple and gold, Fox was an on and off starter. He played and started in all of the games in the 1997-98 season but became a reserve after the Lakers acquired Glen Rice in 1999. After Rice's departure in the midst of the 1999-2000 season, Fox returned as a starter for all but five games where he averaged 9.6 points per game, a slight dip from his first season with the Lakers but it was enough to aid the team in their quest for their second straight title. Essentially, Fox was not a stand alone player but a perfect role player who was crafty and often guarded some of the best players in the game. He played pesky defense and was more than willing to do the occasional grub work to put the team on top of their opponents.

Fox had some phenomenal performances during the Lakers three title runs from 1999-2002. During 2000 playoffs, Fox played in all 23 games as a reserve behind Rice. Despite averaging only 4.3 points per game during the first two rounds and Conference play, his numbers would increase to 6.7 in the Finals against the Indian Pacers. He would go on to put up a 11 point performance in game one and a critical three pointer late in game six during a major momentum shift that would allow the team to rally back and defeat the Pacers for the title, the first of three that Fox would eventually win.

Photo Courtesy of posters.ws

 The next year, Fox would see a hike in his post season numbers when he returned to the starting line up. His average bolstered to 10.0 points per game along with 3.6 assists a night. In the finals, he managed to put up 19 points in a game one loss against Philadelphia and 20 in the fifth and final game for the series, nine of which came from perfect three point shooting.

During the third year of the Lakers historic three-peat era, Fox put up an average of 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. He would go on to start in all 19 games of the finals including the four that would be needed to sweep the Nets.

The 2003-2004 season would be Fox's last season before leaving to pursue his other ambitions, including a career in acting. Interesting enough, Fox had already been working on numerous acting projects during his basketball careering. In 1994, Fox received his first gig in Blue Chips as a basketball player for the Texas Western Team. Two years later, he would also appear in Eddie as Terry Hastings, a basketball player who is struggling and finds help in a fan played by Whoopi Goldberg. Fox would appear in a total of five films, four television series including Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents, and one television movie during his active years as an NBA player. It is clear that Hollywood was perfect for Fox who always seemed to be camera ready.

Photo Courtesy of zimbio.com

Nevertheless, Fox was extremely talented it what he had done best, and that was shooting the lights out from beyond the arc when it mattered and playing some solid defense. Los Angeles needed a player of his caliber, who did not mind playing as a starter or coming off the bench. Whenever he was on the floor, he did not fall short of giving his best effort which reflects the hard worker Fox is. No matter the project, Fox seems to always dive in with two feet and that is what has allowed him to remain stylish and extraordinary.