A former NBA coach heads to the WNBA.
In a move that shocked many, the Los Angeles Sparks named Derek Fisher their new head coach on Wednesday. The hiring of the five-time NBA champion, days after Brian Agler stepped down as head coach of the team after four seasons, represents a very different direction for the franchise.
“I’m excited to be the new head coach of the LA Sparks,” Fisher said in a press release. “There is no finer organization in the WNBA and I can’t wait to work with our ownership group, front office, talented players and staff to cement a culture of sustained excellence, which is what LA basketball fans demand — and deserve.”
Fisher comes to the Sparks with a championship resume as a player — five titles in all —but a lone credit as a coach, the one-plus season he spent as head coach of the NBA’s New York Knicks.
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“I am thrilled to name Derek Fisher our next head coach,” Sparks Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler said. “Derek is a champion and proven leader on and off the court. With his wealth of experience as a former player and head coach, I can’t think of a better steward for our basketball team moving forward.”
It is hard to overstate how poorly his tenure with the Knicks went. New York finished 40-96 over the season-and-a-half Fisher ran things. He’d signed a five-year, $25 million deal, and came to operate the triangle offense Knicks president Phil Jackson remained bullish on, but the Knicks were 29th in offensive efficiency in his first year, 24th even after adding Kristaps Porzingis. Neither team cracked the top half of the league in defensive efficiency, either.
Then again, Fisher didn’t have much of a chance to show what kind of coach he wants to be, absent Jackson. Now he’ll get a chance, replacing a legendary, title-winning coach in Agler, with a roster overflowing with talent.