De'Aaron Fox Might Have Just Made the Dumbest Play in NBA History

The San Antonio Spurs had tied the NBA Finals 2-2 going back home to Texas.

The team was on the verge of giving up the biggest comeback in Finals history after leading by nearly 30 at halftime, but with the seconds dying down and up one, the Spurs stole the ball as they waited to go to the line to put themselves up three with almost no time remaining.

Well, that’s what was supposed to happen.

Instead, De’Aaron Fox, who was already having a poor game and only shooting 6-for-15 from the field, caught up to the ball down the court and didn’t simply wait to be fouled.

If Fox captured the ball and simply stood still, the Spurs were almost certainly going back to San Antonio tied in the series and with momentum behind them after winning two at Madison Square Garden.

Fox didn’t just stand there. The almost decade veteran of the NBA grabbed the ball and went up for the lay up, getting blocked from behind, and flailing to the ground as Knicks regained possession. OG Anunoby soared like Superman on the other end of the court, tipping in the winning basket with a second remaining, and Fox could do nothing but watch as his team suffered the worst choke in NBA Finals.

But it didn’t have to be that way.

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Forget the poor coaching from Mitch Johnson. Brush aside Victor Wembanyama missing crucial free throws down the stretch and shrinking in the moment.

All Fox had to do was one thing: hold onto the ball, and the Spurs win.

That’s it.

Fox, the man the Spurs traded for last season to bring in a star veteran presence, looked like a junior high player in the biggest moment of his career. His mind told him to go for glory and make the shot, when all he needed to do was stay still and force New York to foul him.

It’s a moment that, unless the Spurs come back from 3-1 to win in Game 7, will personify Fox for his entire career.

J.R. Smith had the greatest blunder prior to this in NBA Finals history, dribbling the ball out and forcing his team to go to overtime that they ultimately lost. But that Cleveland Cavaliers team was never going to beat the Golden State Warriors. Even if they had stolen that first game, the Warriors were winning that championship.

If Fox didn’t take the shot and either stood still or dribbled away from contact, the Spurs were in the driver’s seat in a back-and-forth series. Now, though, they’re on the brink of elimination, with the Knicks feeling invincible after coming from back a deficit that should have been impossible to climb.

De’Aaron Fox is a good basketball player, and at times a great one. But tonight, without question, his legacy has changed forever. If the Spurs don’t win the next three games, no one will remember anything about Fox in a few decades except one thing and one thing only: Why did he shoot that ball?

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 9:21 PM.