High school basketball: Five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher named head coach for Southern California program

Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times is among those reporting that five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher will become the next boys basketball head coach at Crespi (Encino, Calif.) after previous coaching stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Sparks over the past decade.

The 18-year NBA veteran averaged 8.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds over the course 1,287 games while playing alongside Kobe Bryant for all of his championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fisher lasted less than two seasons as the head coach of the New York Knicks after compiling a record of 40-96 from 2014-16. He also spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks from 2019-22 and went 54-46.

Derek Fisher hired as basketball coach at Crespi High https://t.co/B61eKhBAQX

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) August 7, 2023

Former Crespi head coach Andrew Moore announced his resignation on July 26 after four seasons at the helm. Moore led the program to a record of 58-43 during his tenure, including finishing with a record of 18-12 last season.

Fisher takes over the helm of a program that returns a number of promising players from last season headlined by Class of 2025 guard Peyton White along with Class of 2026 guards Joe Sterling, Stephen Kankole and Malakai Perrantes.

The former NBA point guard will look to bring the Southern Section program to new heights in the rugged Mission League that includes heavy hitters Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) and Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) among other formidable foes.