Lost somewhere amid the hype and hoopla surrounding the latest installment of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is the inspiring journey of Laker point guard Derek Fisher.
His is a journey that transcends basketball. It is a journey that has seen Derek Fisher go from the depths of despair to the clutches of possibly another championship.
More than a year ago today, Fisher was on pins and needles, caught in a tragic twist of fate that threatened to derail his basketball career and worse, throw his very life in disarray. His then 11-month old daughter, Tatum, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of degenerative eye cancer. Just as everything had begun coming up roses again for the stocky, 6-foot-1 point guard, an albatross was thrown his way and in an instant, everything became a virtual conundrum for the 12-year veteran.
Oh, and the timing was downright nasty––right smack in the heat of the playoffs. So while his then Utah Jazz teammates were prepping for a pivotal Game 2 showdown against Baron Davis and his upstart Warriors in the second round, Derek Fisher was prepping himself for an all-together different battle: the battle to save little Tatum’s eyes, and to a larger extent, her very life.
So just hours before Game 2, Fisher found himself on a plane instead of on the floor of the glistening New Energy Solutions Arena. He and his wife were bringing their cancer-stricken daughter to New York for emergency surgery. On this day, basketball became the least of Derek Fisher’s concerns. Wins, points, momentum, home-court advantage? None of them mattered for Derek Fisher. All that really mattered for him was Tatum.
What happened next, of course, was straight out of the “Where
Amazing Happens” playbook. Tatum survived the delicate surgery and was cleared to fly home immediately after. Unburdened somewhat by Tatum’s successful surgery, Derek Fisher––along with Tatum and his wife––flew back to Utah, went straight to the sold-out New Energy Solutions Arena, put on his Jazz uniform, and jogged straight to his team’s bench. A minute later, he was on the floor, basking in the warm, well-deserved, and poignant standing ovation the crowd had given him. Fisher eventually capped his dramatic day with a tide-turning three in overtime to help the Jazz win Game 2.While the Jazz eventually lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, Fisher found ultimate solace in something far more important: his daughter was safe and she was beating cancer.
After the season, Fisher asked Jazz owner Larry Miller to release him so he can live––and possibly, play––in a city where his daughter can get the best medical attention possible. It was a clean, mutual break, one in which both sides understood each other.
Months after being released by the Jazz, Fisher eventually chose Los Angeles as the best place to raise Tatum. He then signed a three-year, $14 million contract––$8 million less than the $22 million he would have received with the Jazz had he decided to stay––with the Lakers to continue playing the game he loved. Back in the city where he first made himself a household name, Derek Fisher has settled in, along with the great Kobe Bryant, as one of the respected leaders of this young and talented Laker team.
After a tumultuous year in which Derek Fisher watched his daughter, Tatum, battle cancer, he is now with the Lakers, providing veteran leadership, clutch shooting, tenacious defense, and unflappable confidence in helping his good friend, Kobe Bryant win another NBA title.
Now, more than a year later after his daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Derek Fisher is playing in the Finals in search of his fourth ring. But to Fisher, winning a fourth championship doesn’t matter nearly as much as seeing her daughter, Tatum, everyday.
It was, to say the least, a long, arduous, and difficult journey for the Fishers. But they soldiered on, and now, a year later, Derek Fisher knows he can cap off this journey with the ultimate prize in basketball: an NBA championship.
Should that happen, Derek Fisher would be holding the Larry O’Brien trophy with his daughter in his arms––her beautiful pair of eyes gleaming with pride and joy.
Truly, his is a journey that deserves to be told.
1 comment:
Great work.
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