Derek Fisher accepted the head coaching job with the New York Knicks on Monday, and will jump directly from the playing court to the sideline. A look back at Fisher's 18-year, unsung but largely glorious journey:
June 26, 1996 -- Fisher is selected in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft out of Arkansas-Little Rock by the Los Angeles Lakers, who take him with the No. 24 overall pick, one pick after Efthim Rentzias to the Nuggets, and one before Martin Muursepp to the Jazz. Rentzias and Muursep will combine to play in 118 NBA games ... Fisher currently stands 18th in NBA history with 1,287 regular-season games played.
November 1, 1996 -- Fisher makes his NBA regular-season debut, scoring 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench as the Lakers defeat the Phoenix Suns 96-82. Fisher's Lakers teammates on this night include Shaquille O'Neal, Cedric Ceballos, Elden Campbell and Byron Scott.
April 6, 1997 -- Fisher makes his first career NBA start, scoring a game-high 21 points in an 87-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
June 19, 2000 -- Fisher scores six points in eight minutes as the Lakers complete an NBA Finals series win over the Indiana Pacers with a 116-111 win. The victory gives Fisher his first career title, his first of three consecutive with LA.
May 13, 2004 -- Fisher drains a jumper off an inbounds play with 0.4 seconds to play in the Lakers' 74-73 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. LA wraps up the series two nights later before falling to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.
July 16, 2004 -- After eight seasons as a Laker, Fisher signs a six-year, $37 million deal with the Golden State Warriors. Fisher had been relegated from a starting job to a bench role in 2003-04, after the Lakers acquired Gary Payton.
July 12, 2006 -- After two seasons without a playoff appearance in Golden State, the Warriors deal a disenchanted Fisher to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Devin Brown, Keith McLeod and Andre Owens.
May 9, 2007 -- Fisher provides one of the more inspirational moments in NBA Playoff history when he flies from New York -- where hours before his infant daughter had undergone surgery for retinoblastoma, a form of cancer of the eye -- to Utah for the second half of an overtime win over the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals.
July 2, 2007 -- After one season in Utah, which results in a trip to the Western Conference Finals, Fisher is granted his wish to be released by the Jazz. Fisher cites a need for better care for his daughter.
July 20, 2007 -- Three years and four days after leaving LA, Fisher signs as a free agent with the Lakers.
June 14, 2009 -- Three days after helping the team to an overtime win with a game-tying three near the end of regulation, Fisher scores 13 points in 32 minutes of play as the Lakers defeat the Magic, 99-86, to wrap up the NBA Finals in five games. The win gives Fisher his fourth title as a member of the Lakers. He'll pick up his fifth when the Lakers take down the Celtics the following season.
March 15, 2012 -- Fisher is traded by the Lakers, along with a 2014 first-round pick, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jordan Hill.
March 19, 2012 -- Fisher negotiates a buyout of his Rockets contract, citing a desire to play for a championship contender.
March 21, 2012 -- Fisher signs as a free agent with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He'll appear in 20 regular season games throughout the Thunder's run to the NBA Finals, where they'll fall in five games to the Heat.
November 29, 2012 -- Fisher, who started the season out of the league, signs as a free agent with the injury-depleted Dallas Mavericks. Fisher will play just nine games in a Dallas uniform, including his final starts as an NBA player.
December 22, 2012 -- Citing family concerns and a knee strain, Fisher is waived by the Dallas Mavericks at his request.
February 25, 2013 -- After two months away from the game, Fisher signs as a free agent with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fisher appears in 35 games in the first season of his second tour with OKC, including 11 in the team's run to the Western Conference semifinals.
May 31, 2014 -- Fisher plays 32 minutes in the Thunder's 112-107 loss to the Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, scoring five points and pulling down six boards as Oklahoma City is eliminated.
June 9, 2014 -- Fisher agrees to become head coach of the New York Knicks, succeeding Mike Woodson.
