When he took the court on Tuesday night it was just another day at work for Derek Fisher.
But in lacing up his sneakers, pulling on the purple and gold and checking in for tip-off for the 434th straight regular season game, D-Fish became the NBA’s active iron man.
With the Trailblazers’ Andre Miller sitting out a game earlier this week due to suspension, Derek took over the mantle of active leader in consecutive games played. But it’s not something that No. 2 is set to brag about. And after taking over the lead, Fish had some astute remarks about the achievement, which he believes is a testament to the character instilled in him by his parents:
"There’s a lot of people in this country and around the world that make that decision every day. I take a lot of pride in it from that perspective," Derek said. "Not really about me personally or athletically what it means but, I watched my parents and my dad and my mom wake up every morning and go to work when they had to."
Thinking about that and what a privilege it is for him to get to go to work every day is what propels Fish forward.
"There’s a lot of days, as an athlete, where you physically shouldn’t be out there. But you remember those days were your grandparents or your uncle had to catch a bus to get a ride to work. So you can’t use a sore back, or a sore neck or a sore ankle as an excuse to not go out there and lace ‘em up."
For more on Fish’s feat, courtesy of The Kamenetzky Brothers of ESPN LA’s Land O’Lakers, click here.
PASS AND GLASS
It was a big night for Derek from the start, but No. 2’s stellar play on the court made it a strong night for LA too, as for the second straight game, Derek assists led the Lakers to victory.
No. 2 matched a season-high in dimes with seven and the Lakers beat the Washington Wizards 115-108 last night at the Staples Center. But assists weren’t the only season-high Derek had on the night. He also a new mark in rebounds on the year with six in the win.
Fish and the Lakers got into the act early, with Derek doling out two buckets, one to Kobe Bryant and one to Lamar Odom on the Lake Show’s 10-2 run to kick off the game.
But that wasn’t all Fish had in the first, with one more to Kobe and the Lakers opened up a 13-point lead to end the opening frame.
Derek matched the total in the second with three assists again, one to Pau Gasol and two more to Kobe Bryant. No. 2’s last dime on the night came in the third, on a pass to Odom.
It was a complete effort on the evening from Derek, who added eight points to the stuffed stat line.
NEXT UP
Derek will add to his streak, tonight as the Lakers play guests at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers, who will be home on the scoreboard. Tip off is at 7:30 PST and the game can be seen on KCAL-TV.
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