10 best point guards in Los Angeles Lakers history
By Amaar Burton
4. Derek Fisher (1996-2004, 2007-2012)
Derek Fisher is the classic “his impact isn’t measured in numbers” ballplayer. But there are two numbers that will always be associated with Fisher: 5 and 0.4.
Five is the number of championships Fisher won with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a key bench player on the three-peat title squads from 2000-02, then he was a veteran leader and starter on the back-to-back title squads in 2009 and 2010.
Fisher’s enduring individual highlight is defined by the other number: 0.4.
That’s how much time was left — four-tenths of a second — in Game 5 of L.A.’s 2004 second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs before Fisher became an unlikely hero.
The Lakers were down by one point and looking at a 3-2 series deficit if they couldn’t pull of a miracle. On a team that featured Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, it was Fisher who wound up with the ball in hands for a blink of an eye before releasing the game-winning shot. The Lakers went on to win the series and make it to the NBA Finals.
Fisher left the Lakers in free agency that offseason, but he returned in 2007. After adding his fourth and fifth title rings, he was traded to Houston in 2012.
Fisher retired in 2014 and got into coaching; he has been at the helm of the New York Knicks and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
In 13 seasons with the Lakers, Fisher averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 assists per game. His scoring and shooting percentages went up in the playoffs, tangible evidence to support his reputation for stepping up in the clutch.
Fisher holds the NBA record for most postseason games played, appearing in 259 playoff games. The only active player close to him is LeBron James, with 239 playoff games.