“I Played More Than Kobe Bryant in Our Rookie Year”: How Derek Fisher Sacrificed and Played Second Fiddle for Greater Good

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were majorly responsible for Lakers’ 5 championships, but there were some role players who played a big part as well

Kobe Bryant‘s brilliance since his high school years were not as famous as a LeBron James, but The Mamba made himself quite a name in and around the league during the tryouts.

The Charlotte Hornets took the gamble on the 17-year-old scoring juggernaut and picked him up with their 13th pick in the draft just to trade him away to the Los Angeles Lakers.

That’s where Shaquille O’Neal was going to play for the next eight years of his peaking years, making it a dynasty in the process. And that is where the player who came in as the 24th pick of that draft found himself luckily.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant was the first to bust my a**”: Stephen Curry Reminisces About his Welcome to the NBA moment

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were lucky to have a selfless guy like Derek Fisher coming off the bench

Derek Fisher is one of the most underrated role players of all time. The Lakers’ late pick of the first round in 1996, proved to be one of the most loyal servants of the franchise who unselfishly helped them win 5 championships.

He was with the Lakers for two separate stints of eight and five years. His first year, though, he remembers vividly about how he was preferred over Kobe to put in the situations that mattered more.

At the same time, he remembers that even then, the writing was on the walls for Bryant to become a legend of the game while accepting himself as just a role player who would still do everything to win games and championships.

He talked about it in his recent appearance on Byron Scott’s podcast.

How Fisher helped Kobe win 3 championships and then another two

Fisher was not just a lucky player who landed in the team of Kobe Bryant. He played a considerable role in his success as well, but by taking the back seat, and accepting his role as a secondary guard.

The 22-year-old had the understanding of an ultimate professional and kept his hunger to best in the role he was given. He never got an All Star or All-NBA selections, but his dedication made him the man with most Playoffs performance in the NBA until LeBron James took over in 2020.

This shows how great of a thorough professional he was, that despite having the skills to be a 3rd star of another team, he accepted his role and agreed to be the second guard throughout his 18-year career to win games and championships over individual accolades.

Also read: “If You Like It, Buy the Stock, Not the Product”: Shaquille O’Neal Shares His Philosophy That Built His $400 Million Empire

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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