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Kings Select De’Aaron Fox in the First Round of 2017 NBA Draft

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento Kings tonight selected Kentucky freshman De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

A 6-3, 170-pound guard, Fox was just one of four freshman in the nation to average at least 16.7 points (.479 FG%, .246 3pt%, .736 FT%), 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, he paced the SEC in assist average and earned Third Team All-American honors by CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN, as well as AP Honorable Mention accolades.

Fox posted 22.0 points (.618 FG%, 3-5 3pt, .700 FT%), 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to MVP honors during the Wildcats 2017 SEC Championship run, including a Kentucky freshman tournament-record 28 points versus Alabama in the semifinals. He later encored the performance in the Sweet 16 with 39 points (13-20 FG) against UCLA, the most ever by a freshman in a tournament game.

In addition to his postseason production, Fox altered Big Blue Nation school annals by tallying only the second triple-double in Wildcat history with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Arizona State. In his collegiate debut, he again marked the record book with 12 assists versus Stephen F. Austin State, the most by a Wildcat player in his first game.