NASSAU, Bahamas, Oct 30, CMC – Former United States National Basketball Association (NBA) player, Rick Fox, has announced his intention to see a leadership position within the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM).
Fox, who was among the defeated party candidates in the May 12, 2026 general elections, said he believes that the FNM must continue to raise the bar, not merely to become a stronger opposition, but to become a stronger alternative government.
“I believe that responsibility begins with each of us. So today, Madam President, albeit not relevant to the other side but relevant to older persons in our country, I wish to make my intentions clear. I intend to seek a leadership position within the Free National Movement to ensure the success of this bill over the long haul,” Fox said as the Senate debated the Older Persons Rights, Protection, Care and Support Bill, 2026, which sets standards for the care of older people in The Bahamas and protects them against abuse.
The three-time NBA champion who played 13 seasons for various teams including the LA Lakers, said “I didn’t say which position, but I will say this: my ambition is not simply to occupy a position; it’s to help build a party.
“It is to help build a party worthy of the confidence of the Bahamian people, a party that attracts new generations, develops new leaders, and embraces new ideas, and demonstrates that our greatest achievements are not behind us but still ahead of us.”
The businessman and philanthropist, told legislators that “I am not interested in merely climbing a ladder.
“I’m interested in raising the bar and providing the rocket fuel to get there. That is a lesson I’ve learned from my mother,” he added.
His announcement comes as FNM chairman, Dr. Duane Sands earlier this week said that “the Road to Convention Begins” and that the party will take steps to propose a formal date and to operationalise the secretariat to ensure the convention takes place.
The party faithfuls were told over the last weekend that the current FNM leader, Michael Pintard, is the least popular of the country’s three main party leaders.
The damning report came from Jamaican researchers who conducted a postmortem, who also said that Pintard is seen as the “most petty” even as they acknowledged that he is not solely to blame for the party’s crushing election defeat in the last election.
They pointed to a campaign message that failed to resonate with voters, low visibility among candidates and the lack of a clear plan to make this happen.
In a statement issued after the party’s two-day post-election conclave, Sands said that “a record-number “of FNMs from around the country came together “to look honestly at who we are and what we must become.
“We thank the organisers who made it possible, our invited guests, our former candidates, the Opposition caucus and every member who gave up their weekend to be in the room. This was a strong beginning, and we say plainly that it is only a beginning.”
CMC/jh/ir/2026