Rick Fox facts for kids
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Fox in 2019
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1969 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian / Bahamian |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | North Carolina (1987–1991) |
| NBA Draft | 1991 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Pro career | 1991–2004 |
| Career history | |
| 1991–1997 | Boston Celtics |
| 1997–2004 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,966 (9.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,517 (3.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,649 (2.8 apg) |
Ulrich Alexander Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Bahamian-Canadian who used to play professional basketball. He is famous for winning three NBA championships. After his basketball career, he became a successful actor. He played for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association. Before that, he played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rick Fox also owned an eSports team called Echo Fox for a while.
You might have seen him in TV shows like Oz, One Tree Hill, and Ugly Betty. He also appeared in movies such as He Got Game and Holes.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Rick Fox was born in Toronto, Canada, on July 24, 1969. His mother, Dianne Gerace, was an Olympic athlete. His father, Ulrich Fox, was Bahamian. When Rick was young, his family moved to the Bahamas.
He went to Kingsway Academy in Nassau. Even though he had never played organized basketball, he joined his high school team. He also played high school basketball in Warsaw, Indiana. He was a very talented player. However, he was not allowed to play his senior year because of a rule about how many semesters he had completed. Despite this, he was still chosen for the Indiana All-Star team in 1987. After high school, he went on to play for the University of North Carolina.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Boston Celtics (1991–1997)
The Boston Celtics picked Rick Fox in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft. He was the 24th player chosen overall. He became the first rookie to start for the Celtics on opening night since Larry Bird in 1979. In his first year, he was named to the 1992 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He averaged 8 points per game that season.
By the 1995–96 season, Fox became the main small forward for the Celtics. He started scoring double-digit points regularly. In the 1996–97 season, he scored a career-high 15.4 points per game. He also made 101 three-point shots that year.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (1997–2004)
In 1997, Rick Fox joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He played and started in all 82 games during the 1997–98 season. He averaged 12 points per game. In the playoffs, the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals.
In the 1999–2000 season, the Lakers made it to the 2000 NBA Finals. They played against the Indiana Pacers. Fox played in all 23 playoff games. In Game 6 of the Finals, with the Lakers close to winning, Fox made a very important three-point shot. This helped the Lakers win the game and the NBA title. It was his first championship!
After another player left, Fox became a starter again for the 2000–01 season. He averaged 9.6 points per game. In the playoffs, the Lakers swept through the first three rounds. They reached the 2001 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fox scored 19 points in Game 1. The Lakers then won the next four games, winning their second straight championship. In the final game, Fox scored 20 points and made all three of his three-point attempts.
In the 2001–02 season, Fox played and started in all 82 regular season games. He also started all 19 playoff games. The Lakers had a tough 7-game series against the Sacramento Kings. Fox scored 13 points in the Lakers' Game 7 victory. In the 2002 NBA Finals, the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets in 4 games. This gave them their third straight NBA title! Fox averaged 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in that series.
Rick Fox had some injuries later in his career. He missed many games in the 2003–04 season. The Lakers made it to the 2004 NBA Finals but lost to the Detroit Pistons. After that season, Fox was traded back to the Celtics. However, he decided to retire instead of playing for them again. He played in the NBA for 13 years.
Playing for the Canadian National Team
Rick Fox also played basketball for Canada. He represented his country twice in the FIBA World Championship in 1990 and 1994.
Acting Career
Rick Fox started acting while he was still playing in the NBA. He appeared in the film Blue Chips in 1994. In 1996, he played Terry Hastings in the movie Eddie. He also had a role in the 1998 film He Got Game, directed by Spike Lee.
From 1997 to 2003, Fox played a character named Jackson Vahue in the TV show Oz. He also appeared in the film Resurrection in 1999. In 2003, he was in the Walt Disney Pictures film Holes. He played Clyde 'Sweetfeet' Livingston, a baseball player. He also had roles in TV shows like 1-800-Missing and The Fairly OddParents.
Acting After Basketball
After retiring from the NBA, Rick Fox continued his acting career. In 2006, he appeared in the film Mini's First Time. He also played a villain named Daunte in the TV series One Tree Hill. In 2007, he was in Ugly Betty with his former wife, Vanessa Williams.
He had recurring roles in shows like Dirt and The Game. In 2008, he had a lead role in Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns. He also appeared as himself in Head Case. In 2011, he played Bernadette's ex-boyfriend Glenn in The Big Bang Theory.
Rick Fox has been in many other TV shows and movies. These include Body of Proof, Franklin & Bash, Mr. Box Office, Hit the Floor, Mom, Sin City Saints, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, and iZombie. From 2018 to 2019, he co-starred in the Morning Show Mysteries series for Hallmark Channel. He also played Darius Nash in the OWN series Greenleaf.
In 2022, the Bahamian government made Rick Fox an Ambassador-at-large for Sports.
Reality Television Appearances
In 2010, Rick Fox was a contestant on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. He danced with professional partner Cheryl Burke. They finished in sixth place.
He also appeared on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? and was a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. In 2017, he competed on the Chopped Star Power actors competition, finishing in second place.
Professional Gaming (eSports)
In 2015, Rick Fox became involved in the world of eSports. He and his partner Amit Raizada bought a professional League of Legends team. They renamed it Echo Fox.
However, in 2019, there were problems within the company. One of the co-founders used racist language. This made it impossible for Rick Fox to continue working with the organization. He left Echo Fox in November 2019. He stated that differences in values and ethics made it impossible to succeed.
Personal Life
Rick Fox has a son from a previous relationship. His son is very interested in gaming, which helped Rick get into the eSports world.
In 1999, Rick Fox married actress and singer Vanessa Williams. They had a daughter together. They later divorced in 2004, but they remained friendly. They even worked together on the TV show Ugly Betty years later.
From 2009 to 2014, Rick Fox dated actress Eliza Dushku.
In January 2020, there were false reports that Rick Fox was involved in a helicopter crash with his former teammate Kobe Bryant. However, Rick Fox and his family quickly confirmed that he was safe.
Images for kids
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Fox in 2019
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Fox with Los Angeles Lakers, 2002
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Fox holding a producer credit for The 1 Second Film in May 2006
See also
In Spanish: Rick Fox para niños
