Former NBA champ Rick Fox appointed opposition senator in the Bahamas after election loss

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Retired three-time NBA champion Rick Fox was appointed Monday as a senator for the main opposition party in the Bahamas after losing a bid for a legislative seat in last week's general election.

The opposition Free National Movement Party named Fox as one of its four allotted senators.

Voters in the Bahamas are allowed to elect candidates to the House of Assembly, but members of the Senate are appointed. Both the government and opposition are allowed to appoint whomever they see fit as senators, including candidates who lost at the polls.

Fox ran as a Free National Movement Party candidate in the election last Tuesday but failed to garner enough votes to win.

“Nobody likes to lose, but sometimes setbacks give us the opportunity to reflect, grow, sharpen ourselves and come back wiser, stronger and more prepared for what’s next,” Fox said in a video posted on social media after the defeat.

Incumbent Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis and his Progressive Liberal Party won the election, securing a second consecutive term in office. It marked the first time a party has won two straight general elections in that country since 1997.

Fox was born in Canada to a Canadian mother and Bahamian father, making him eligible to run for office in the Caribbean country where he grew up.

Fox played 13 seasons in the NBA after he became a first-round draft pick. He played with the Boston Celtics and later the Los Angeles Lakers, where he helped the team win three national championships. He retired from the NBA in 2004.

Fox has also had a career as an actor, appearing in several movies and television shows.