Batman has Robin, Mario has Luigi, and Kobe Bryant has Derek Fisher, his under-the-radar sidekick who has been through the trenches and title runs with him from day one of his NBA career—literally.
Bryant and Fisher were both drafted in 1996, Kobe by the Charlotte Hornets and Derek taken 24th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
After Bryant was traded to Los Angeles, they instantly developed a friendship and would eventually become great teammates and even better friends, despite Fisher’s brief stints with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz from 2004 to 2007.
Off the court, Fisher served as Bryant’s crutch during his 2003 sexual assault case. Bryant mostly kept to himself during those tough times, but when he needed a confidant, Fisher provided that support system.
Fisher’s support, however, has largely been levied on the court.
In 2007, Fisher returned to Los Angeles after the Jazz admirably granted his request to be released from his contract in order to relocate to a team and city that would have the “right combination” of specialists to help fight his daughter’s rare eye ca ...
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Article written by Josh Hoffman
Fishing for a Sidekick: Why Derek Fisher Makes Kobe Bryant Great
December 17th, 2009 by Josh Hoffman Leave a reply »
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