SPORTSPASTOR

Golden State may have the mascot, but Utah’s Derek Fisher was the real Warrior on and off the court on Wednesday, May 9, 2007. Known around the NBA as a spiritual man that places faith and family above sport, Fisher had the opportunity to live those values in front of the everyone. It turns out that the personal reasons that excused the veteran point-guard from Game 1 were a life-threatening cancer diagnosis and surgery on his 10-month old daughter. Derek spent Wednesday morning in New York, the site of the surgery and on Wednesday evening arrived to the game in street clothes during the third quarter and immediately changed clothes and entered the game. His defense on Baron Davis was inspired as he took over the game. He made the game clinching three-pointer in an overtime thriller won by his Utah Jazz. The hero was congratulated by players from both teams who knew of his rollercoaster of a day and here is what he told TNT’s Pam Oliver:

“It was very, very serious. My daughter’s life was in jeopardy. She has a form of eye cancer called retinoblastoma. And the only reason I’m saying this now is because there are kids out there that are suffering from this disease, and people can’t really identify it. It’s a very rare disease. And I want people out there to take their kids to the opthamalogist, make sure they get their eyes checked and make sure everything’s OK, because we could have lost my little girl had we waited any longer.”

Derek grew up in a Christian home and got serious about his faith as a college student at The University of Arkansas, Little Rock. He was heavily involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible Studies in college and was mentored by A.C. Green as a youngster in Los Angeles. Green is known around the league for his commitment to faith and family as he is very outspoken about sexual purity in a league where sexual immorality is part of the the glamour for most young players. A.C. Green may be retired, but he left an impression on Derek Fisher, a man with three NBA Championship rings, who is now leaving a legacy of his own by living out his faith.