Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher played alongside each other in the backcourt for the Los Angeles Lakers for the majority of their NBA careers. Both players were drafted in the 1996 NBA Draft and won five NBA titles as teammates during their time together in Los Angeles.
With all that being said, it comes as no surprise that the two longtime teammates are close friends and have kept tabs on one another since Fisher was traded for Jordan Hill a few years ago.
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After Fisher essentially played his last game against the Lakers at the Staples Center on Sunday, the former Laker was asked about Kobe’s recent injury problems and how it has impacted him watching Kobe go through it. Fisher responded with the following according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Derek Fisher on Kobe’s injuries (1/2): “For Kobe, we played together, seems like a lifetime & so it’s very personal to me especially…"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 9, 2014
Fisher went on to talk about Kobe’s work ethic and having little doubt the superstar will be back on the floor sooner rather than later via Winters:
(2/2): “knowing how hard [Kobe] works to be at his best, that he’s not there right now. I have no doubt he'll be back there again very soon"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 9, 2014
Kobe’s recent setback with the knee fracture has him scheduled to be re-evaluated at the end of next week. Although there’s a lot of doubt surrounding his potential return to the floor this season, Kobe playing a few more games before the season comes to an end still remains a possibility.
As for Fisher, the five-time NBA champion’s farewell tour continues with one more matchup against his former team this season. The Lakers will head on the road to Oklahoma City to face Fisher and company one more time before heading to Texas in order to take on the San Antonio Spurs in the second game of a back-to-back.
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