As the National Basketball Players Association and the National Basketball Association work toward a new collective bargaining agreement, there is no one in the meetings working harder to get the players back on the court than Derek Fisher.
Derek takes his role as President of the NBPA very seriously and the players put there faith in him.
As the President of the NBPA, Derek takes pride in his role of making sure the NBA players get what they have earned in negotiations. In a profile for The New York Times, Richard Sandomir writes of just how invested Fish is in the ongoing talks:
"In the current N.B.A. lockout, Derek Fisher, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 37-year-old point guard, has been the union’s primary voice, publicly delivering the players’ position and privately helping to influence the course of negotiations. Fisher has five championship rings, all with the Lakers, and he plays a position where savvy is a prerequisite, but few could have foreseen just how visible he would become as the deadlock dragged on.
"I have chosen not to be just a figurehead since being elected," Fisher said by e-mail last week. "I put in hours and hours a day. I have become an expert on the situation."
Derek’s role in the negotiations is no accident, unlike his predecessors as president, Derek has thrown himself headfirst into the fray since becoming union president in 2006. When it became apparent last season that negotiations might get to the point of a lockout, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter told Derek that he wanted him to take a more active role in negotiations, as Hunter relayed to the Times:
"I told him, ‘I think I’m going to let you take the lead on a lot of this,’ " Hunter said of Fisher last Friday in a telephone interview. "Over a year ago, well before the lockout, I pushed him forward. I’d say, ‘Rather than you stand around, you should be the one out in front.’ And he’s been doing a great job."
Derek has always had a reputation as a gifted leader since his early years with the Lakers. He quickly gained the respect of young superstar Kobe Bryant and the two have built a bond that helped the Lakers to five NBA championships.
But while Derek takes his role on the court very seriously, he is perhaps even more serious about his role as NBPA chief.
He knows it is his duty to bargain for the union to get a fair deal to preserve the health of the game now, while promoting its growth for the future. That’s been the case since he became a player rep early in his career.
"I am not a passenger in anything I do," he said. "I am and always will be a leader. So when I was involved in the prior lockout as a young player, I needed to understand more about the process."
Fish’s knowledge of the process and bargaining savv,y while keeping a cool head during the often-contentious negotiations, has earned him the respect of those across the table.
"In the well over 30 bargaining sessions, I cannot remember a single incident where he raised his voice," NBA deputy commissioner Silver said. "And, just a reminder — David Stern is in the room."
That’s because for Derek Fisher, his role of NBPA President is not about posturing or impressions, it’s about the future of the NBA long after he has left the game.
For more on Derek’s role in the NBA labor negotiations, read Richard Sandomir’s article here.
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I dont see why this is taking so long.Whats the difference between a month ago and consecutive more weeks to get a deal done. You guys have had years to figure this out and waited untill recent to decide a resolution. It seems selfish to everyone but people who work for the NBA, players included. And if there is a lockout for the season what good will that do? Everyone will be in the same situation that we are in today. That is why I dont get why a deal has not been made. My family and myself survive on money a year that wouldnt last the players a week. Get it done this is so stupid. -Kevin Almandrez
Dear Derek, Dear NBA Players,
please stop being held hostage by white trillionairs!
just start your own league. Black Basketball Association, or even better: PBA – Players Basketball Association.
that way you players will be the owners of the hole circus. you will employ agents and marketing specialists etc… but you are in control!!!
if that means, you need to build new arenas and stuff… so be it. you will manage over the next decade and then come out much much stronger.
love
afrasan
Derek. Settle the nba labor and play ball …….I m nba fan since 1953… Getting fed up and turning fast
Toward. Not watching or going to another. Nba game..
I wonder if there are 35 1%-ers (ok maybe they need to be .00001% ers) that each want there very own professional basketball team. Starting from scratch sounds like a good idea at this point. If you get 35 owners who start from a position of revenue sharing and knowing it takes two teams to have a game, you can have a fair system for everyone. If the current owners realized that the value of their teams could go to zero, they might be more wiling to negotiate in good faith.
John
Derek fisher used to be a good player but now hes a cancer to the NBA and not only that he is taking the NBA season away from all the fans of the NBA fuck fisher and billy hunter for ruining lives and the NBA. Derek Fisher is an old ass that needs to retire and take care of his family and stop trying to resolve this issue that could have been resolved a long time ago. Fuck this shit and fuck the union
I don’t know if you will ever read this but I’ll give it a try any way. I have a idea for the lockout that I don’t think has been brought up yet. Both sides, players and owners, seem to both want a deal that gives everybody something right now. What about a deal that has a graduated approach to things. For example: let’s say the players offered the owners 52% leaving the players 48% for the first year of the deal. The next year it would go to 51 / 49, the next year 50 / 50. At this point you have several options: 1. is to keep it 50 /50 for the duration of contract. Or, 2. is to swing the pendulum back the either way. After a 50 / 50 year, the next year 52 players, 48 owners, etc..I don’t know anything about sports contracts but I would think that you could do the same thing with systems issues i.e. alternating years for certain types of deals, luxury tax etc. Option 3. Everybody starts at 49 / 49 which totals 98%. The remaining 2% each year would go into an escrow account. Language for the distribution of the funds could be entered into the contract or simply a claus saying that distribution of the money to be determined upon new negotiations. This may allow the owners to flex a little with other system issues if they knew money was being made early on and waiting in the bank later…..