PHOENIX – All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox was a late scratch from the Spurs’ preseason opening 123-116 loss to Atlanta on Thursday, after arriving at the Frost Bank Center sore from the team’s rigorous morning workout.
Fox, 28, had been scheduled to start the game alongside the talented backcourt duo of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he did not expect the issue to keep Fox sidelined for long.
“Just some tightness,” Johnson said. “I don’t foresee it being anything serious, but obviously we’ll be very cautious.”
Fox is expected to join the team on the two-game exhibition trip that begins Saturday in Phoenix, Johnson said.
MORE SPURS:3 Takeaways as Dylan Harper assumes starting mantle in preseason
Happy homecoming for Hawks’ Flemings: For Atlanta rookie Kingston Flemings, Thursday’s game was more than a preseason tune-up. It was a homecoming.
The former Brennan High standout was selected No. 8 in the June draft, becoming San Antonio’s highest-drafted high school product since Shaquille O’Neal.
His first NBA road trip brought him back to the city where his basketball journey began.
“Playing in the NBA feels great,” said Flemings, a 6-foot-4 guard who played collegiately at Houston. “I went to a lot of games here when I was younger. So it feels good.”
A night earlier, Flemings beamed as Brennan retired his jersey in a surprise ceremony at the high school.
He gave his hometown fans another reason to cheer Thursday, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and dishing five assists off the bench against the Spurs.
Flemings had started Atlanta’s preseason opener against Memphis, with veteran guard C.J. McCollum sitting out, but moved to the second unit in San Antonio.
“I’m an NBA player for a reason,” Flemings said. “So I’m just going to do what I love the most – play basketball.”
For a stretch of the second half, the game turned into a mini-showdown between Flemings and Spurs second-round pick Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a former college opponent at Tennessee.
With 8:48 remaining, Flemings picked Gillespie’s pocket and raced for a dunk that gave Atlanta its first lead of the game.
The hometown return was a success on the stat sheet. Hawks coach Quin Snyder came away impressed with how quickly the rookie has settled into the NBA.
“He’s acclimated very quickly,” Snyder said. “Those qualities lend themselves to a young player continuing to improve.”
Wemby shows solidarity with French protesters: Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama expressed support Thursday for the ongoing, nationwide protests by students and other groups in France against the underfunding of schools.
Police have made more than 6,600 arrests since late September, when students, most under 18, began protesting to demand more education funding, according to the Interior Ministry, The Associated Press reported.
De rien Bally t’es un bon wlh
– Wemby (@wemby) October 9, 2026
The Education Ministry said 375 schools were fully or partially closed Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Wembanyama, 22, was asked by a reporter about a post he made on social media about wanting to join the protests.
“I meant it,” Wembanyama said. “I was in that position not so long ago. I’ve had the chance to escape this system, escape this trouble. But it’s a chance, it’s luck. So, I want to show my support.”
Wembanyama made those comments in English. He also responded in his native tongue to a question about the protests posed by a reporter from France.
“I’m glad that high school students and young people in general are making themselves heard. Because I hear them and I support them,” Wembanyama said in French.
Staff writer Tom Orsborn contributed to this report
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This article originally published at Why De’Aaron Fox is still awaiting his preseason debut.
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