Derek Fisher is widely regarded as one of the best role players in Los Angeles Lakers history, helping the organization capture five NBA championships.
Fisher was a staple on the “three-peat” Lakers and later returned to help them win two more titles at the end of the decade.
Fisher’s most iconic moment came in the 2004 Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, where he drained a game-winning jumper with just 0.4 seconds left in regulation.
In an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, Fisher credited Gary Payton for trusting him with the game-winning shot, as transcribed by Ryan Stano of Sports Illustrated:
“For a long time, it reminded me of a down year, if that makes sense, because we lost in the Finals to the Pistons, so I’m like, ‘I don’t want to remember 2004’, but you can’t escape the moment. Yeah, the play wasn’t designed for me, and if you’re on a team with Kobe and Shaq, the play is not for you.
“I’m not mad about that at all, either. So the play wasn’t designed for me; it was really the gravitational pull that the two of those guys have by pulling players towards them like I just kind of stood there and waited for the right moment to go to the open space, and I always give Gary Payton a ton of credit because he was taking the ball out and most guys will force it to the superstars in that situation because they don’t want to be the one that has to explain ‘why you tried to throw it to this dude as opposed to try to throw it to Kobe or Shaq?!’ So, I always give GP major love for making like what was the right basketball decision. It ended up working out, but a lot of dudes would have forced that ball to Kobe or Shaq.'”
As Fisher pointed out, typically, the inbounds pass on a potential game-winner goes to a star player, but the Spurs wisely covered both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Sensing the opportunity to spring open, Fisher found some space, and Payton trusted him to deliver.
It was a gutsy decision from Payton, though it worked out in Los Angeles’ favor as Fisher hit the shot, and the team went on to the NBA Finals.
Derek Fisher believes Kobe Bryant was sacrificing too much following 2000 NBA Championship
Bryant had become one of the NBA’s biggest superstars in rapid fashion, though his conflict with O’Neal broke the Lakers apart. Fisher believes that Bryant started to feel like he was sacrificing too much for the team following L.A’s 2000 title run.
