Derek Fisher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Los Angeles Lakers – No. 2 | |
| Point guard | |
| Born: August 9, 1974 Little Rock, Arkansas |
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| Nationality | American |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Salary | $5,048,000 |
| High school | Parkview Arts and Science Magnet |
| College | Arkansas-Little Rock |
| Draft | 24th overall, 1996 Los Angeles Lakers |
| Pro career | 1996–present |
| Former teams | Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004) (2007-Present) Golden State Warriors (2004–2006) Utah Jazz (2006–2007) |
| Awards | 4-time NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009) |
| Profile | Info Page |
Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He is one of the most well-respected players in the league and was voted President of the NBA Players Association. Fisher was the twenty-fourth pick in the first-round by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft. He has won four NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. During the three championship run, Fisher was the third leading scorer on the team behind teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
He has also been the color commentator for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA since July 1, 2008.[1] Fisher was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and is represented by agent Rob Pelinka.[2]
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[edit] Early life
The younger brother of former NBA player Duane Washington,[3] Fisher attended the Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School in Little Rock, where he was a letterman in basketball.
He went on to attend the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for four years, with a major in communications. Fisher concluded his collegiate career at Arkansas-Little Rock second on the school’s all-time lists in points (1,393), assists (472) and steals (189). He averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 112 games and consistently led the team in assists and steals every year. Fisher also set a school record for free throws made in a career (399) and ranked 3rd among all-time UALR leaders in three-point field goals made (125). As a senior, he earned Sunbelt Conference Player of the Year honors after averaging 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.[4]
In 2005, Fisher pledged $700,000 to UALR towards the construction of its Jack Stephens Center auxiliary gym, since named in his honor, and the establishment of the Fisher Fellows Life Skills program, a mentoring series for UALR student-athletes.[5]
[edit] NBA career
[edit] Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004)
Fisher was selected 24th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, and spent his first eight seasons with them.[4]
He made his NBA debut in an early season game against the Phoenix Suns, tallying 12 points and five assists. Over the course of his rookie season, Fisher appeared in 80 games, averaging 3.9 points, 1.5 assists and 1.2 rebounds. He was selected to the Schick Rookie Game during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland and had 16 points and six assists.
Due to a stress fracture in his right foot, Fisher missed 62 games out of the 2000-01 season. By the 2002-03 season, Fisher had firmly established himself as the Lakers' primary point guard, starting in all 82 games. But after the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by the eventual champion Spurs that spring, followed by the signing of veteran point guard Gary Payton in the summer, Fisher was demoted back to the bench for the 2003-04 season. Despite his reduced role, the 2004 Playoffs provided one of Fisher's most memorable career moments. With the Lakers leading 72-71 against the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan hit a fadeaway 20 footer with 0.4 seconds left to give the Spurs a 73-72 lead. After several timeouts called by both clubs, Gary Payton inbounded the ball to Derek Fisher, who unbelievably hit a turnaround fadeaway jump shot over Manu Ginobili to win the game for the Lakers. Replays confirmed that the ball left his hand with 0.1 seconds left on the clock, to the dismay of the San Antonio Spurs.
[edit] Golden State Warriors (2004–2006)
After the 2003–04 season, Fisher became a free agent. Although he was popular, the Lakers viewed him as a role player, and with the additions of veterans Gary Payton and Karl Malone the previous summer, Fisher had been removed from the starting lineup and saw his playing time reduced to 18–20 minutes a game. In addition, the Lakers team that Fisher was familiar with had disintegrated after the 2003–04 season. Head coach Phil Jackson retired and center Shaquille O'Neal had been traded to the Miami Heat, while Kobe Bryant threatened to opt out of his contract and most of the remaining Lakers squad was traded away in the opening phases of a rebuilding effort. During contract negotiations, the Lakers offered Fisher $15 million over three years. In contrast, the Golden State Warriors offered Fisher $37 million over six years and guaranteed him a role as the team's starting point guard.
On July 16, 2004, Fisher signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. Fisher's two-season term with Golden State proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, as some of the flaws in his game were exposed. While he was a reliable spot-up shooter, Fisher saw limited openings without a star player such as Bryant or O'Neal to command a double-team, and struggled against quicker players. The team as a whole continued to struggle mightily and languished near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Fisher had stated that his primary reason for joining the Warriors was the chance to run his own team as its starting point guard. However, Speedy Claxton started more games than he had in 2004-05 season, and then newly-acquired star Baron Davis soon replaced him in that capacity. Fisher came off the bench for the remainder of his time in Golden State. In the 2005-06 season, he was productive in his back-up role, averaging 13.3 points a game, the highest season scoring average of his career.
[edit] Utah Jazz (2006–2007)
Derek Fisher was acquired by the Utah Jazz on July 12, 2006 in a trade that sent Keith McLeod, Andre Owens, and Devin Brown to the Golden State Warriors. He appeared in all 82 games of the 2006-07 season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.01 steals while scoring in double figures 40 times.
In November 2006, Fisher was voted President of the NBA Players Association, succeeding Antonio Davis. Fisher had previously served as vice president.[6]
[edit] 2007 Playoffs
In opening round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets in seven games. But several days before the Western Conference Semifinals between the Jazz and the Golden State Warriors were to begin, Fisher vaguely stated that one of his four children was ill, avoiding going into further detail other than to say he needed to be with his family instead of participating in the first game of the series.
It was not until a post-game interview after Game 2 that Fisher went into more explicit detail on the situation involving his then-11-month-old daughter, Tatum. She had been diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a degenerative and rare form of eye cancer, which required an emergency three-hour surgery and chemotherapy at New York's Presbyterian Hospital.[7] Prior to Game 2, Fisher had asked head coach Jerry Sloan to leave him on the active list, but said he could not guarantee he would make it in time to play. But with permission from their doctors in New York, he and his family flew back to Utah after his daughter's surgery. After landing in Salt Lake City with Game 2 already in progress, Fisher learned that teammate and starting point Deron Williams was in foul trouble and his backup for the game, Dee Brown, had been seriously injured, leaving forward Andrei Kirilenko to play point guard. Fisher arrived at the arena in the middle of the third quarter, suited up, and without time for preparation, made his way to the court. He was immediately called upon by Sloan to enter the game, and received a standing ovation from the crowd and support from Jazz teammates and former teammate Baron Davis. The Jazz began a comeback in the fourth quarter after being behind most of the game. With little time remaining, Fisher made a critical defensive stop on Davis that helped send the game into overtime. In the closing minutes, the Jazz held a narrow three-point lead when Deron Williams found a wide-open Fisher for a three-pointer that sealed the emotional victory.[8]
The Jazz eventually defeated the Warriors 4 games to 1, but fell to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals in 5 games. Fisher's dramatic late entrance and performance in the game against the Warriors was nominated for Best Moment in the 2007 ESPY Awards.
Following the season, on July 2, 2007, Fisher announced that he asked the Jazz to release him from his contract so he could devote his energies to fighting his daughter's retinoblastoma.[7][9] Although denying that Utah's medical care was substandard, he stated that it did not have the "right combination" of specialists.[7] Without officially announcing whether he would play basketball again, he stated that his main concern was finding the right care for Tatum. The Jazz honored his request.[9][10]
[edit] Second run with Lakers (2007–present)
After much speculation, on July 19, 2007, Fisher officially rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers by signing a three-year contract worth roughly $14 million.[9][10] He had given up roughly $8 million over three years, as he was due about $22 million over the next three years in his prior contract with the Jazz. When the 2007–08 season began, Fisher resumed his role as the Lakers' starting point guard, and provided a veteran influence alongside Kobe Bryant to the relatively young Lakers squad. He contributed a solid season, and played a big role especially against the Utah Jazz in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He made a controversial defensive play in the Lakers-Spurs playoff series, causing Brent Barry to miss a potential game winning shot leading to the Lakers ousting the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers would then lose the NBA Finals to Boston.
Despite heavy criticism during the 2009 playoffs, Fisher was instrumental in the Lakers pivotal game 4 victory over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA finals. He hit a three pointer over Jameer Nelson with 4.6 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, and hit a tie-breaking three pointer with 31.3 seconds remaining in overtime to help send the Lakers to a 3-1 series lead. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times described these shots by stating, "After his two jaw-flooring three-pointers led the Lakers to a 99-91 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, you'll now officially be seeing him forever."[11] Fisher stated that his actions in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals were "even greater than the .4 shot because now we're as close as possible to the NBA title."[citation needed] The Lakers went on to win their 15th NBA title, beating the Orlando Magic in the Finals by a margin of 4 games to 1. This was Fisher's fourth time winning a championship as a professional. His 11.0 Point Per Game average, 50% shooting from the field, and 44% shooting from behind the three point line over the course of the five game series was a significant improvement over his regular season numbers and a drastic departure from his post-season struggles to that point. He had shot 23.5% from behind the three point line and 35.6% from the field in the three prior playoff series.
[edit] NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 3 | 11.5 | .397 | .301 | .658 | 1.2 | 1.5 | .5 | .1 | 3.9 |
| 1997–98 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 36 | 21.5 | .434 | .383 | .757 | 2.4 | 4.1 | .9 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 1998–99 | L.A. Lakers | 50 | 21 | 22.6 | .376 | .392 | .759 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 1.2 | .0 | 5.9 |
| 1999–00 | L.A. Lakers | 78 | 22 | 23.1 | .346 | .313 | .724 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .0 | 6.3 |
| 2000–01 | L.A. Lakers | 20 | 20 | 35.5 | .412 | .397 | .806 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 2.0 | .1 | 11.5 |
| 2001–02 | L.A. Lakers | 70 | 35 | 28.2 | .411 | .413 | .847 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .9 | .1 | 11.2 |
| 2002–03 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 34.5 | .437 | .401 | .800 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.1 | .2 | 10.5 |
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 3 | 21.6 | .352 | .291 | .797 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .1 | 7.1 |
| 2004–05 | Golden State | 74 | 32 | 30.0 | .393 | .371 | .862 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 1.0 | .1 | 11.9 |
| 2005–06 | Golden State | 82 | 36 | 31.6 | .410 | .397 | .833 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 13.3 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 82 | 61 | 27.9 | .382 | .308 | .853 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .1 | 10.1 |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 27.4 | .436 | .406 | .883 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .0 | 11.7 |
| 2008–09 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 29.8 | .424 | .397 | .846 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | .1 | 9.9 |
| Career | 946 | 515 | 26.1 | .404 | .376 | .813 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 1.1 | .0 | 9.1 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | L.A. Lakers | 6 | 0 | 5.7 | .273 | .000 | .667 | .5 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | 1.3 |
| 1997–98 | L.A. Lakers | 13 | 13 | 21.4 | .397 | .300 | .621 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .0 | 6.0 |
| 1998–99 | L.A. Lakers | 8 | 8 | 29.8 | .418 | .345 | .800 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 1.0 | .0 | 9.8 |
| 1999–00 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 0 | 15.3 | .430 | .414 | .760 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .5 | .1 | 4.7 |
| 2000–01 | L.A. Lakers | 16 | 16 | 36.0 | .484 | .515 | .765 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.4 |
| 2001–02 | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 19 | 34.2 | .357 | .358 | .786 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 2002–03 | L.A. Lakers | 12 | 12 | 35.3 | .520 | .617 | .818 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.5 | .1 | 12.8 |
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 22 | 0 | 23.0 | .405 | .418 | .657 | 2.5 | 2.2 | .8 | .0 | 7.5 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 16 | 14 | 27.8 | .405 | .375 | .933 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 21 | 31.6 | .452 | .440 | .836 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 2008–09 | L.A. Lakers | 22 | 22 | 28.9 | .394 | .284 | .861 | 2.0 | 2.2 | .9 | .1 | 8.0 |
| Career | 176 | 125 | 27.1 | .423 | .408 | .794 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .1 | 8.7 |
[edit] References
- Jackson, Phil (2004). The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul. Penguin Press. ISBN 1-59420-035-1.
- "Derek Fisher's Career Statistics". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/derek_fisher/?nav=page. Retrieved on March 15 2005.
- ^ Lakers' Derek Fisher Joins Sparks' Broadcast Team
- ^ "Rob Pelinka". DraftExpress LLC. http://www.draftexpress.com/agents/Rob-Pelinka-99/. Retrieved on 2008-07-23.
- ^ CNNSI.com - 2001 NBA Playoffs - For L.A.'s Fisher, comebacks are in the genes - Wednesday June 6, 2001 11:29 AM
- ^ a b NBA.com Derek Fisher Bio Page
- ^ Fisher Fellows Life Skills Program
- ^ RealGM: Wiretap Archives: Fisher Voted President Of NBAPA
- ^ a b c Fisher leaves Jazz to focus on daughter's cancer treatment - updated July 2, 2007
- ^ Fisher delivers in every way
- ^ a b c Fisher hopes return to L.A. will soften Bryant's trade demands
- ^ a b Fisher returns to Lakers after 3 season hiatus
- ^ Plaschke, Bill (June 12, 2009). "Derek Fisher cements status in Lakers lore with nothing but class". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers12-2009jun12,0,3417177.column. Retrieved on 2009-06-23.
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| Preceded by Antonio Davis |
National Basketball Players Association President November 19, 2006– |
Succeeded by Current |
