He plays the fifth game in Lakers history, ranking seventh in Steel, with only two people named LeBron and Kobe hitting more purple and gold three-pointers than Derek Fisher. The fan, dubbed “D-fish,” is the leader of five NBA title teams, and Kobe Bryant called him the best teammate he’s ever had. With such a basketball resume, Fisher can do whatever he wants in the sport. So it might be surprising to hear where Derek Fisher is now: High School.
Laker Great concluded his second season as head coach of Encino’s Crespi High Boys Basketball team. After coaching previously in both the NBA and WNBA, Fisher had planned his next move when his son and two Stepsons began playing for Crespi in 2023. When Crespi’s coach left, the school approached Fisher. He wasn’t interested because his kids were on the team. “I’ve seen how father-doujin relationships can hurt father-son relationships,” Fisher tells KTLA’s Steve Hartman. But after some thought, he did the gig. “I didn’t want to feel this space to give other people more,” Fisher jokingly says.
Fisher is used to the job. He was barely hired from high school, but he ended up playing at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, rather than the Hoops powerhouse. Fisher admits he is “not the best player on any team I’ve ever played”, and he was also the smallest man on the court. Still, he reached the pinnacle of NBA success by outstriking the competition. He is about to plant the same drive in Crespi’s high player. “These are kids who aren’t ranked as the top 100 recruits in the country, and I wasn’t,” he says. “But if someone can help them access their highest level of possibilities, they might see something they haven’t seen yet, they’ll see me, they’ll see me, they’ll be born in Little Rock, Little Maybe that guy played on rock could go or not to go, why can’t I do it all that he did?”
So far, Fisher’s approach has been working. Crespi ranks in the top 15 across the CIF Southern Section, making its second straight playoffs. Fisher also won the right way, making sure his student-athletes maintain the standards of Cresspi’s Catholic schools on and off the court. “Coach Fisher will help younger men become better men and he’s going to teach you a lot,” he said, “playing for Fisher is “a surely an experience I enjoyed.” adds that, Cresspi’s senior Peyton White. These feelings are reflected by Crespi junior Malakai Perrantes. He says, “I can learn from everyone I want to experience, whether it’s learning new drills or anything in the NBA.”
Fisher says he doesn’t share too many stories from his NBA days with his team. He’s not even sure his Lakers experience will give all his coaching lessons and gain more weight for his players. “Sometimes, they trust that information,” Fisher says.
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