UPDATE: Derek Fisher addressed the rumors on Twitter and revealed that he would consider a comeback if a team reached out.Ā
In six days Derek Fisher will be 42-years-old. And while that is absolutely decrepit by the standards of professional athletes, it reportedly hasn't stopped the 19-year NBA veteran from exploring the early stages of a potential comeback, though it's currently unclear if that means the NBA or overseas.
On Tuesday night Fisher posted a Facebook video showing himself crossing over his training partners, and draining buckets, with the caption "Working on being a better me. Loving every minute of this journey āŖ#āinthelabā¬ āŖ#āimnotdoneyetā¬ āŖ#āworkingonmeā¬ āŖ#ābiggerthanbasketballā¬ āŖ#ābutilovethisgameā¬":
Obviously #imnotdoneyet is the hashtag that caught people's attention.
And while it's fair to say that that alone doesn't indicate a comeback, sources also told ESPN that Fisher is "exploring options and expressing interest in playing again."
Fisher played for the Lakers, Warriors, Jazz, Lakers (again), Thunder, Mavericks, and Thunder (also again) between 1996 and 2014. In his career he won five NBA titles, and also set league records for most playoff games played (259) and most playoff games won (161).
After he retired in 2014 he spent a season-and-a-half as the coach for the New York Knicks, but was fired in February following a 1-9 stretch by the team. In his season plus of running the Knicks' sidelines the team was 40-96.
From there he went the analyst route, appearing on TV for both NBA TV and TNT.
The whole thing got Twitter buzzing, to a degree, because it's not everyday you see an ex-coach express interest in playing again:
A return to an NBA roster would make Fisher the oldest player in the league, and would make him, Andre Miller and Kevin Garnett the only 40-year-olds in the association (assuming the latter two continue playing).
Anyway here's hoping it happens, if for no other reason than to see Fisher and Matt Barnes on the floor at the same time.
