Los Angeles Lakers Unsung Hero

When the Lakers dispatched of the Orlando Magic to win the 2009 NBA Championship, the MVP trophy went to Kobe Bryant. An amazing player and in "a league of his own" when it comes to talent. Kobe has now won four NBA Championships. He has a great coach in Phil Jackson who has led ten teams to the trophy stand. But it does take more than a superstar player and coach to get to the top, basketball is a team sport after all. Without point guard Derek Fisher, the Lakers might not be so dominant or victorious. People forget that Derek Fisher also has won four NBA championship rings.

The Lakers were not a very good team a few years back. Shaq had divorced Kobe and the Lakers in a media press circus. Los Angeles was a below average team struggling to even be competitive in the playoff picture. Kobe was not surrounded with a great cast of teammates and he simply could not carry the team by himself. Meanwhile Derek Fisher had been traded to Golden State and then to the Utah Jazz. But what transpired during the summer of 2007 changed everything.

Derek had led the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference finals and was a hero in Salt Lake City. He had found a home and fans adored him. But his 10 month year old daughter Tatum Fisher was suffering from a rare form of eye cancer and needed treatments. Fisher had to travel to New York City and Los Angeles with his daughter for the treatments as they were only performed in a select few places in the United States. It became a real burden for the family to travel so much, while living in Salt Lake City. Derek Fisher met with the Utah Jazz organization and asked to be released so he could relocate to bigger city for his daughter's health. He did not care if he played basketball again, what was important was getting his child the services she needed. The Jazz granted the release and the Fishers moved back to Los Angeles.

Derek was able to sign with the Lakers and play close to home and provide for his family. The Lakers knew he might not always be available but were willing to take the risk. Fisher took a huge cut in pay knowing the Lakers could not afford to pay what he was making with the Jazz. Now two years later he is sitting on top of the trophy stand with his fourth championship trophy. His daughter is doing well and the Lakers could not be happier.  So while Kobe gets most of the credit, it is Fisher who has been just as important and really the Laker's unsung hero.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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J.D. Jones has worked as a sports editor and coached high school boy's and girls tennis teams. Besides tennis, he is an avid college and pro football and basketball fan - GO UTES!

Unless otherwise stated, no particular sexual orientation of anyone depicted is implied or should be presumed.