Fisher wants NBA clubs-players row solved soon

Manila, Philippines - Aside from being one of the best clutch shooters the NBA has produced, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Derek Fisher wears another cape – he’s the president of the National Basketball Players Association.

The 36-year-old Fisher is currently in town to provide the leadership and clutch shooting for a stellar nine-man cast playing a PBA selection at press time yesterday, and Smart Gilas Pilipinas today in the Smart Ultimate All-Star Weekend at the Araneta Coliseum.

And he was quick to share his feelings on the ongoing lockout that’s worrying NBA clubs, their players, the NBA officialdom and fans worldwide.

“We don’t like it,” said the 36-year-old Fisher, who was part of the same Lakers squad superstar teammate Kobe Bryant led to five NBA championships, in yesterday’s press conference at the Edsa, ShangriLa Hotel.

Fisher, drafted 24th by the Lakers in 1996 or the same class that included Bryant, however, didn’t say how long the lockout will last but he is optimistic the players’ group and the NBA could find a solution soon.

“For us basketball players, we just want to play and make our fans happy and continue the progress the league is enjoying in the last two seasons,” said Fisher, the most experienced in the group with 199 playoff games, just nine short of future Hall-of-Famer Bryant.

“But as much as we want to just play, we players also have to do our responsibility,” he added.

The recent lockout, which officially started three weeks ago after the players and NBA owners failed to come up with a collective bargaining agreement, has forced some players to find greener pastures abroad either for money or just to play and stay in shape.

A lockout, of course, means players will have no job and salary.

The only good thing that came out of it is that it made the blockbuster event possible to the delight of the basketball-loving Filipino fans.

Fisher, who had brief stops with the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz, made his mark shooting playoff triples as he ranks second all time in NBA Finals conversions from beyond the arc with 43 behind only former teammate Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry.

Fisher also owned the highest three-point field goal percentage in NBA Finals history at 42.6 percent and would be best remembered for his “0.4 Shot” in Game Five of their Western Conference Semifinals match against the then defending champion San Antonio Spurs on May 13, 2004. That was considered as the NBA’s 18th greatest moment of all time.

With 0.4 second to go and the Lakers trailing, 72-73, Fisher caught a tight inbound pass from Gary Payton and managed to turn and shoot an 18-foot jumper in one quick motion at the buzzer for that unforgettable game-winner.