IT'S 12:30 A.M., and De'Aaron Fox just slid on a pair of Chelsea boots with his gray slacks and a brown ribbed crew neck sweater over a collared white shirt.
As teammates wearing Nike tech fleece, jeans and hoodies scurry through the locker room to board SUVs and buses awaiting outside that will take the San Antonio Spurs to an optional team dinner after their Game 3 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals, Fox stuffs both hands into his pockets and shakes his head.
The 28-year-old "old man" of this young group has made up his mind.
"It's already 12:30. I will not be at the dinner," Fox said. "We can do brunch tomorrow."
Fox acknowledges he's a man who thrives off routine, having "one, two, maybe three options of what a day is going to be like, and I don't veer off from that very much at all." It's behavior Fox learned through nine seasons in the NBA.