Derek Fisher

I have always been a D. Fisher fan. He and Scottie Pippen, Arkansas natives, have always been two of my favorite players. First and foremost, I love the history behind their travel to the NBA. Secondly, it gives credence to the fact that small town individuals can make it. More than anything, I love their down home values. When they played there were never reported incidents with the law or other such negativity. He is character driven, and showed that life lessons that are learned at home can be cultivated on the court, the field and in the arena.

I have always been a D. Fisher fan. He and Scottie Pippen, Arkansas natives, have always been two of my favorite players. First and foremost, I love the history behind their travel to the NBA. Secondly, it gives credence to the fact that small town individuals can make it. More than anything, I love their down home values. When they played there were never reported incidents with the law or other such negativity. He is character driven, and showed that life lessons that are learned at home can be cultivated on the court, the field and in the arena.

Mad respect to DFish. He's one of those blue collar wearing, lunchpail toting, unassuming dudes, and he's real easy to overlook. Except that, once in a while, he'll do something sublime and make you realize, all over again, that flash is no substitute for substance. Kobe and Shaq and, hell, even Robert Horry got the lion's share of accolades (and rightly enough), but Derek Fisher's contributions can't be dismissed. Fisher was the third leading scorer in those back-to-back-to-back NBA championships for the Lakers. I forget which year it was, that he got injured and missed all those games, but I remember his coming back and shooting lights out, a suddenly improved perimeter marksman. And who can forget the 0.4 miracle toss? Certainly not the Spurs. There's a reason Kobe Bryant looks for him during crunch time.

Mad respect to DFish. He's one of those blue collar wearing, lunchpail toting, unassuming dudes, and he's real easy to overlook. Except that, once in a while, he'll do something sublime and make you realize, all over again, that flash is no substitute for substance. Kobe and Shaq and, hell, even Robert Horry got the lion's share of accolades (and rightly enough), but Derek Fisher's contributions can't be dismissed. Fisher was the third leading scorer in those back-to-back-to-back NBA championships for the Lakers. I forget which year it was, that he got injured and missed all those games, but I remember his coming back and shooting lights out, a suddenly improved perimeter marksman. And who can forget the 0.4 miracle toss? Certainly not the Spurs. There's a reason Kobe Bryant looks for him during crunch time.