Spurs' De'Aaron Fox Gets Honest on Playing Alongside Victor Wembanyama

SAN ANTONIO — Only a select few players have had the pleasure of playing alongside a 7-foot-4 point forward. De'Aaron Fox is among the crowd.

Through 14 games of the season, Fox has seen Wembanyama's resurgence from a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis that ended his sophomore campaign prematurely. And he's well aware of what his San Antonio Spurs are capable of given such success.

“Whenever your better players compete on both ends of the court, it makes everybody else bring up their level," Fox said. "Obviously, having Vic, who’s different defensively than we’ve ever seen, that gives you confidence."

#Spurs' De'Aaron Fox, speaking astutely, on being a complementary piece for Victor Wembanyama:

“We see the talent that he has. We know he can be one of the greatest players. But as he’s trying to get there, you don’t go through that on your own. All great players have played…
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) November 17, 2025

Wembanyama is sidelined with a calf strain suffered during the Spurs' two-game bout with the Golden State Warriors.

Tuesday morning, the center was seen at shootaround without a boot, but given an uptick in calf injuries, San Antonio will remain cautious with his recovery.

Fox, especially, plans to see him through it.

“We see the talent that he has," the point guard said. "We know he can be one of the greatest players. But as he’s trying to get there, you don’t go through that on your own. All great players have played with other great players.”

Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard De'Aaron Fox (4) react during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Since making his return from an offseason hamstring injury, Fox has averaged 22 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field. All of his games have come without Dylan Harper, who sustained a calf injury against the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 2.

Fox has been tasked with becoming San Antonio's lead offensive facilitator while his teammates get healthy. It's an atypical role for him with the Spurs, but not one he hasn't seen before. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, for one, knows that.

"It’s very clear that we have the face of our franchise," Johnson said, referring to Wembanyama. "(Fox) is comfortable with that. And everybody around him is."

“He’s just a constant threat,” Wembanyama added. “He can go by you in a second.”

Given his résumé, Fox has earned the seal of approval from both Johnson and Wembanyama. In the interim, he'll have a chance to prove why. Even if it means waiting a while for his counterpart to return.

“I’m seven years older than him," Fox said. "I can help him (win). You don’t want to be a guy who’s trying to win once you’re 25 or 26 years old. If you can do that from being 21 ... that makes you even better as a player.”