Derek Fisher

Who is Derek Fisher?

Derek Lamar Fisher is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. He played professionally for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five NBA championships. He has also served as president of the National Basketball Players Association.

Fisher played college basketball for the Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans, earning the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 1996. Selected by the Lakers with the 24th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, he spent his first eight seasons with the franchise, winning three consecutive league championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. After the 2003-04 NBA season he signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors, later being traded to the Utah Jazz, whom he helped lead to the Western Conference finals. Due to his daughter's health, he asked to be released from his contract in 2007. He rejoined the Lakers and won two more NBA titles.

In 2012 he was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he bought out his contract and was waived at his request.