De’Aaron Fox Breaks Silence on Game 4 Finals Criticism© via Instagram
San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox averaged 12.8 points on 34.2% shooting in the 2026 NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks despite suffering a painful high ankle sprain during the tournament. Throughout the series, Fox continued to play. After OG Anunoby blocked his layup attempt in Game 4, he justified his aggressive strategy. Fox recently acknowledged the same.
De’Aaron Fox Reveals Why He Played Through Severe Ankle Injury in 2026 NBA Playoffs
When De’Aaron Fox’s layup attempt was blocked in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, the outcry against the San Antonio Spurs guard was even louder. Fox was unconcerned and largely oblivious to the cacophony of social media and sports discourse. Fox recently said that he was furious for two months after the Finals before turning his attention back to offseason training and team bonding.
He said:
“I don’t have basketball on my timeline. No one is calling me talking. I can’t do nothing about all the other things. Everybody has a podcast. Everyone thinks their opinion matters..”
He had never made it to the Finals or the conference finals before. He had to play, though. He most certainly wouldn’t have played if it had been the regular season. Additionally, Fox excelled in the first four games of a second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round.
An NBA player is usually sidelined for four to six weeks due to the injury. He acknowledged that at the time of his injury, he was the second-highest scorer. Given his postseason experience and the Spurs’ goal of making it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, Fox, however, didn’t approach his injury with the usual mindset.
De’Aaron Fox Remains Unfazed by NBA Finals Criticism Despite Ankle Injury
After the game, San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox became a hot topic in the summer. After blocking Fox’s transition layup attempt late in the fourth quarter, OG Anunoby scored the game-winning tip-in. As conversations over Fox’s performance and decision-making grew more heated in the basketball world, the sequence drew widespread mockery from NBA fans.
Fox continued to play through a serious ankle injury throughout the playoffs, and his numbers significantly decreased. He averaged 11.2 points while shooting 36.5% from the field and 22.7% from three-point range. He was unmoved by the criticism directed at his performance and saw overcoming the agony as a sign of fortitude. Although he admitted that his postseason difficulties had drawn attention, he insisted that other people’s opinions would not change his perspective going forward.
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