Three-time NBA champion Rick Fox has announced his candidacy for political office in the Bahamas. Fox, 56, will run for a seat in the Bahamas’ House of Assembly in next year’s general election, which is expected to be in October.
Fox disclosed his intentions in a Facebook post on Monday. “Today, I’m announcing that I will be a candidate in the next general election,” Fox wrote. “For months, I’ve been listening closely to the hopes and frustrations of my fellow Bahamians. One truth is clear: the future of The Bahamas will depend on the choices we make right now.
“You’ve shared that you want more transparency, a modern economy that prioritizes affordability and security, and a country where opportunity is our reality, not just a promise. I share that vision. And I’m stepping forward today because we cannot wait any longer to realize a Bahamas that we all envision is possible,” he added.
Fox, born in Toronto, Canada, to a Bahamian father and Canadian mother, moved to Nassau, Bahamas, at a young age. His mother, Dianne Gerace, was equally good in sports as she competed in the high jump and pentathlon for Canada in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
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Fox played high school basketball at Warsaw Community in Indiana and went on to play college basketball at North Carolina.
He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. He won three consecutive NBA Finals championships with the Lakers from 2000-02 before retiring in 2004.
The NBA veteran averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.5 minutes across 930 games played for the Celtics and Lakers, according to cleveland.com.
Fox pursued acting while in the NBA and is now known for films and television shows like “Greenleaf”, “Ugly Betty”, “One Tree Hill” and “Highest 2 Lowest.”
In 2015, he co-founded the esports team Echo Fox.
The former Lakers star is expected to run to represent one of 39 constituencies; he has yet to disclose which one. Fox was appointed by the Bahamas as an Ambassador-at-Large for Sports in 2022.
He lives in the Los Angeles area, though he has a home in the Bahamas.
