By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net 

FORMER NBA player Rick Fox says he would have no hesitation giving up his Canadian citizenship if he decided to enter frontline politics.

Mr Fox, born in Canada to Bahamian father Ulrick Fox Sr and an Italian mother, sparked public interest about his eligibility after hinting on Facebook that he could run for office.

Asked by The Tribune if he would renounce his Canadian citizenship if he joined frontline politics, Mr Fox said: “I don’t have to renounce my dual citizenship to vote. If what you are asking me is if I were to get into frontline politics, am I prepared to follow the laws of the land, yes that goes without saying. That’s an easy decision. I am a Bahamian. I own one passport and it’s a Bahamian Passport and I’m proud of that status.”

In a Facebook post yesterday, he hit back at suggestions questioning his Bahamian identity because he was born abroad. “I will never apologise for my parents’ decision to fall in love, marry and bring me into this world regardless of where the hospital was,” he wrote.

He reflected on his parents’ journey — his Italian mother’s family immigrating to Canada in search of opportunity, and his father leaving The Bahamas at 15 to work in the cranberry fields of Massachusetts before moving to Toronto. There, he said, his father became a car salesman, later returning home to establish Nascan Auto Sales on Mackey Street, one of the country’s early used car lots.

Mr Fox said his family returned to The Bahamas in 1970 when he was nine months old, and he learned to crawl, walk, and run in Stapledon Gardens. Three years later, he sat on his father’s shoulders at Clifford Park for the 1973 Independence celebrations.

He recalled helping in his father’s business, Holiday Ice, serving customers at depots on Mackey Street, Nassau Street, and Soldier Road.

Since moving back to The Bahamas in 2021, Mr Fox said the first thing he did was register to vote, adding that every Bahamian should see voting as a civic duty.

Known internationally for his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and later as an actor, producer, and commentator, Mr Fox has recently shifted his focus to national development.

Now serving as the country’s sports ambassador, he is also the founder and CEO of Partanna, a climate technology company producing carbon-negative building materials.

Mr Fox said that after returning home, he has listened to Bahamians’ frustrations but also sees opportunities for growth amid the challenges.