The No. 40 Legacy: Jim Fox’s Brief, Final Chapter with the New York Nets

In the sprawling tapestry of the Brooklyn Nets’ jersey history, certain numbers evoke instant legend—the No. 5 of Jason Kidd, the No. 7 of Vince Carter. Others, like No. 40, tell quieter, more nomadic tales. The franchise has seen 14 different players don the digits, a rotating cast of big men and role players whose contributions are etched in the fine print of media guides. This journey through the team’s 52 retired and active numbers, a legacy carried from the ABA’s New Jersey Americans through to today’s Brooklyn era, isn’t just about superstars. It’s about the journeymen who filled out rosters and, in their own way, helped build a franchise. And in the autumn of 1976, as the NBA absorbed four ABA teams, the final player to wear No. 40 for the New York Nets was a seasoned veteran looking for one last stop: Jim Fox.

A Journeyman’s Path: From Cincinnati to the World

Long before he arrived in Uniondale, Jim Fox had lived the life of a basketball nomad. The Atlanta, Georgia native was a star at the University of South Carolina, leading to his selection by the Cincinnati Royals with the 70th overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft. His professional beginnings, however, were forged in the crucible of the now-defunct Eastern League, a testament to the less-glamorous, grind-it-out reality for many players of his era. Fox finally cracked the NBA with the Royals during the 1967-68 season, appearing in 31 games. What followed was a textbook tour of the league’s landscape in the late 60s and early 70s.

Fox’s career was defined by adaptability and resilience. He played for seven different NBA franchises in a nine-year span:

• Detroit Pistons (1968-69): A key reserve, averaging 5.7 points and 5.2 rebounds.
• Phoenix Suns (1969-70): Part of the Suns’ inaugural expansion season.
• Chicago Bulls (1970-71): Provided frontcourt depth for a playoff team.
• Cincinnati/Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1971-73): A return to his original franchise, now relocated.
• Seattle SuperSonics (1973-75): Two solid seasons as a reliable veteran presence.
• Milwaukee Bucks (1975-76): Played alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 43 games.

By the summer of 1976, Fox was a 33-year-old, 6’10” center with over 600 NBA games of experience. The league was in flux, merging with the ABA. The New York Nets, reigning ABA champions but financially strapped and having just sold Julius Erving to Philadelphia, were a team in transition, needing affordable, experienced players to fill out their roster. For Fox, it was a final opportunity to extend a career that had spanned the breadth of professional basketball.

The 1976-77 Nets: A Franchise in Transition

Jim Fox’s lone season with the Nets was arguably the most tumultuous in franchise history. The team had moved from Long Island to the Rutgers Athletic Center in New Jersey but kept the “New York” moniker. Reeling from the loss of Dr. J, the Nets plunged from champions to a league-worst 22-60 record. The roster was a patchwork of ABA holdovers like Al Skinner and Tim Bassett, and NBA veterans like Fox, brought in to provide stability that was ultimately impossible to achieve.

Fox’s role was limited. He appeared in 49 games, starting 10, and averaged 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game. Statistically, it was the quietest season of his career. Yet, his value transcended the box score. In a season defined by loss and instability, a professional of Fox’s caliber served as a grounding force. He was a bridge between two eras and two leagues—a player who had competed against the ABA’s best for years and now found himself within a franchise struggling with its new NBA identity. His No. 40 jersey, then, symbolizes more than a final stat line; it represents the end of an era for both the player and, in many ways, the team he briefly joined.

Expert Analysis: The Value of the Veteran Journeyman

From a historical and team-building perspective, players like Jim Fox are the essential mortar between the bricks of franchise cornerstones. In the 1970s, without a sophisticated player development system or a deep bench, veterans like Fox were crucial for their practice habits, locker room demeanor, and ability to mentor younger players while providing spot minutes. His career shooting percentage of .456 was respectable for a big man of that era, and he was a fundamentally sound positional defender and rebounder.

Fox’s journey to the Nets also highlights the chaotic nature of the NBA-ABA merger. The Nets, hemorrhaging money, were in no position to pursue prime free agents. Instead, they scoured the market for available, cost-effective veterans—a category Fox perfectly fit. His signing was less about on-court impact and more about filling a roster with professional competence during a season that was, from the outset, about survival and transition. In wearing No. 40, Fox carried the legacy of the number for a franchise that was itself searching for a new identity.

The No. 40 Legacy and Modern Parallels

Today, the Nets’ No. 40 has been worn sparingly in the Brooklyn era, most notably by Jeff Green during the 2016-17 season. The contrast is fascinating. Green, a versatile forward, wore it as a veteran on a playoff-bound team, a role not entirely dissimilar to Fox’s intended purpose—providing experience and depth. This is the enduring cycle for numbers outside the rafters: they are worn by stars-in-waiting, role players, and veterans on short-term deals.

Looking at the current NBA landscape, the Jim Fox archetype still exists but has evolved. Today’s equivalent might be the seasoned minimum-salary veteran who signs for one year to provide locker room leadership and emergency depth on a contender—or, as in Fox’s case, on a rebuilding team needing professional mentors. The prediction for Nets jersey No. 40 is that it will continue this tradition. It is unlikely to be retired, but will instead remain a number of passage, worn by players contributing to the franchise’s story in subtle, often temporary, ways.

Conclusion: A Final Stop in a Long Basketball Journey

Jim Fox’s tenure with the New York Nets was a brief footnote in a long career, and a minor note in the chaotic 1976-77 season. Yet, in the comprehensive history of the Brooklyn Nets’ jersey numbers, his story is vital. It reminds us that a franchise’s history is not written solely by its legends but is also compiled through the experiences of every player who has worn the uniform. Fox’s No. 40 represents the end of a respectable, decade-long journey through the NBA, a journey that concluded just as the franchise he played for was beginning its own painful, necessary transition into a new league and a new future.

As Nets Wire continues to catalog the 52 numbers and over 600 players, the story of Jim Fox stands as a testament to resilience, professionalism, and the quiet dignity of the journeyman. His chapter may be short, but it is an integral part of the rich, complex narrative that connects the New Jersey Americans of the ABA to the Brooklyn Nets of today—a narrative stitched together by every jersey, every number, and every player who has called this franchise home.

Source: Based on news from Yahoo Sports.