Looking Back: Part I

As Derek Fisher gets set to begin the next stage of his career, as a NBA coach this coming season, the transition has necessitated that he quietly close the book on his career as a player.

But before the new season begins, DerekFisher6.com will be taking a look back at Derek’s playing career through a series of articles recapping his charmed run through 18 NBA seasons with five teams.

Fish’s career began aptly, with the extraordinarily talented 1996 NBA Draft class, continued through numerous magic moments including the infamous “0.4 shot” and carried on into 16 playoff appearances, culminating in five NBA championships.

Upon turning the page to his new vocation as a coach, Derek reflected on his playing career, and how that will serve him in his new role.

“I think preparing myself for this moment and being a head coach of an NBA basketball team is something that started at six years old. I played my first game of organized basketball at six years old, and although I was one of the better kids on that team, I have very rarely been the best player, the most talented, the tallest, the highest jumping or the best shooter on a basketball team. So right away as a young person, I had to start thinking about the game of basketball and how it was played and where I could find my advantages and how I could be most effective even though I wasn’t physically the most gifted or talented. So the last 33 years, that’s the way I have viewed the game. And in the last 18 years as an NBA player, in this business, that’s the only reason I’ve been around for 18 years, because I’ve thought as a coach.”

That attribute and attitude toward the game was reflected throughout Derek’s playing career, beginning with scouting reports when he entered the NBA out of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

A Little Rock native, Fish chose to stay home for college and enjoyed a fabulous four-year career with his hometown team. He still sits third in school history in career points and second in assists and steals.

Despite his relative obscurity coming from a small school, when Fish sought entry to the league, NBA scouts who observed him raved of his toughness and attitude.

“I like his makeup. Presents self well. Has a professional attitude. Mature,” wrote Clarence Gaines II. “Feels he has been a leader since his freshman year… Solid philosophy in talking about determination—‘it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it.’”

He was almost an afterthought in a draft class overflowing with talent, including potential Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash and Ray Allen. But D-Fish was eventually plucked off the board at No. 24 overall in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he and Bryant would team up to win five rings.

That toughness scouts spoke of was always apparent. Over the course of his career, he played the entire 82-game slate an astounding nine times. He nearly touched that, playing 80 games, during the regular season of his rookie campaign.

From his first season Fish became a postseason staple. He made the playoffs the first eight years of his career and went on to go to the postseason 16 times. He ended his career with the NBA record for playoff appearances and wins.

From Day 1 in L.A. through his 1,546 combined regular season and playoff appearances, a run that ended in Oklahoma City, Fish has built a unique legacy in the sport. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we take a look at all of the magical moments that spelled the tale of D-Fish on the court in the NBA.

Derek Fisher – Before the Lakers (Scout’s Perspective, March 16, 2012)