LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 20: Derek Fisher #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles around Gerald Wallace #3 and Jamal Crawford #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the game at Staples Center on February 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion who has coached in both the NBA and WNBA, will now try coaching at an all-boys prep school in Encino.
Crespi Carmelite High School hired Fisher as their head basketball coach, according to an official release by the school’s Director of Athletics Brian Bilek.
“Coach Fisher brings to Crespi his strong work ethic, leadership, and discipline that are rooted in his Christian faith,” Bilek wrote. “Crespi Basketball now prepares to boldly enter a new era under Coach Fisher’s leadership with a program poised to continue its tradition of excellence."
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Fisher has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He had a reputation for being one of the best leaders for the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant even named him his favorite teammate,” Matt McDonald wrote in Lakers Nation.
He coached the New York Knicks starting in 2014, but he was fired in 2016 after the team had its worst season in the team’s history. In 2018, he was hired by the Los Angeles Sparks, and he stayed with the team through part of the 2022 season.
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“My family and I are thankful and grateful for this opportunity to join the Crespi Family,” Fisher said, adding that “Coaching and teaching is a true passion and I look forward to continuing this focus on the next generation of young student-athletes.”
