Many boys dream about one day becoming a professional basketball player for the NBA, and Derek Lamar Fisher was no exception. This 33 year old, Arkansas native has been living the dream since 1996, when he was ranked #24 in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, a team known as much for its athletic ability as it is for its all star players over the years, including Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He played for the Lakers for eight seasons, averaging points in the double digits for the 2000-2002 seasons, and helped the team win three consecutive NBA championships. Fisher was known to Lakers fans around the world but always remained on the sidelines, allowing the team's bigger personalities to take the limelight. However, that didn't stop him from getting recognition for several career defining moments, one of which earned him the nickname The Fish that Saved L.A. among his teammates and fans. In Game 5 of the 2003-2004 Western Conference semi-finals between the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs he was able to hit the winning shot for the game with only 0.4 seconds left on the clock. The shot caused some controversy given the short amount of time he had to make it in the basket, but the referees ruled it a viable shot and the Lakers got the extra points they needed to win the game by a narrow margin. If he did not make that shot, the Lakers would have had to extend the semi-finals to seven games and possibly not make it into the finals. Fisher became a free agent in 2004. He decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors, as the Lakers were in the middle of a transition due to Coach Phil Jackson retiring, Shaquille O'Neal being traded and talk that Kobe Bryant might not return. He played for the Warriors for two seasons, and in July 2006 he signed with the Utah Jazz. Last February he was elected president of the NBA Players Association, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of NBA players both on and off the court. With a new team to play on and his new, important role with the Players Association, Fisher's career seemed to be in balance, but that soon changed when his infant daughter was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. In July he held a press conference to announce that he would be leaving the Jazz to focus on his daughter's illness. He needed to look for a region where he could get his daughter the proper care and treatment she required. Enter Los Angeles and the Lakers once again. On July 19, 2007 he rejoined the team as their point guard and signed a three year contract worth around $14 million. Fisher has truly come full circle. Now that he is back in Los Angeles, he is in a location where he can get his daughter the help she needs, and he is once again playing for Coach Phil Jackson (who came out of retirement) and alongside Kobe Bryant. With Fisher back on the team, we are sure he will be giving us many more exciting moments at the Lakers games!

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