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Rick Fox loves his yoga, his Tar Heels and the Gorillaz
The actor and NBA analyst has a championship spirit about acting, the men he played with, and family
There’s of course Rick Fox the basketball player. The Rick Fox who led the UNC Tar Heels to the Final Four in 1991. The one who won three consecutive NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He wore purple and gold for seven seasons, all while playing alongside a guy whom he calls his good friend. You may know that friend — his middle name is Bean. But there’s also post-NBA Fox: the actor/analyst/producer/esports mogul Ulrich Alexander “Rick” Fox. He began acting while still playing for the Lakers, but his career blossomed after appearances on HBO’s acclaimed and loved Oz. Fox now pops up on screens both little and big: Single Ladies, Dancing with the Stars and Dope, and he even played himself on The Game. Fox now has a recurring role on OWN’s Greenleaf. He portrays a handsome (of course) reporter assigned to cover scandals that revolve around Calvary Fellowship World Ministries. This is all besides his duties as an NBATV studio analyst. The Toronto-born renaissance man of Bahamian descent talks about his favorite apps, what he’s like during March Madness — and where he gets that hair cut.
What’s the craziest lie you ever told?
I don’t lie.
Where do you get your hair cut?
I have someone who comes to my house. Gilbert [Muniz] comes to my house whenever he’s available. He’s pretty busy. He’s been cutting my hair for about five years now, and his career has really taken off. I’m happy for him, but it makes it harder for me to have those haircuts when I need them.
Describe yourself during March Madness.
I get excited for my Tar Heels. I always want them to win.
What’s one app that you love that nobody else loves?
Well, I think everyone loves Postmates. The one app that may be gaining traction with people: MINDBODY. That connects me to all my yoga classes anywhere when I’m traveling around the U.S. Same with my Workplace app. Workplace connects me with all my employees. Those two are my favorite. Postmates I wear out, though.
What is one album you think is a classic that nobody else does?
The Gorillaz’s Demon Days.
What’s one thing about yourself that embarrasses you?
I’m sure I get embarrassed. I don’t know [laughs]. I wonder if that makes you arrogant if you don’t have many problems. Yeah, I don’t really get embarrassed about stuff. I don’t take myself too seriously.
Who is your favorite athlete of all time?
Some of my teammates were my favorite athletes because I knew them personally. I admire them as men and fathers, and then on top of that their skill sets were just off the charts, and then we went on to win championships. So I wouldn’t say any particular one of them, but every guy who I played years with and won championships with at the Lakers, I think about them. And I think about our times together and I miss them, competing with them. They’re some of my favorite people in the world, and they had amazing, historical careers.
What’s the last museum you walked through?
It was the MoMA [Museum of Modern Art] in New York with my daughter for her birthday, which was pretty cool. It was her 16th birthday. But it was awesome, a pretty fun father-daughter day.
What is the last stamp on your passport?
The last stamp on my passport would be Seoul. No, the last one would be the Bahamas. We went home. That was family; business was Seoul.
Where does your courage come from?
Probably my kids. Just the desire to want to protect them and raise them, nourish them. When you become a parent, you get courage from somewhere because you want your kids to be safe in the world. And you want to be an example and live a life to teach them some clarity about how to carry themselves: getting up, and suiting up and showing up, and being professional, being a man of character and truth and authenticity. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed for people, and I have those days — we all do. But I think of them, and that gives me the courage to really say what I need to say, do what I need to do and just live an authentic life. I think about them.