Some people are born leaders; some people become leaders. Derek?Fisher, no doubt, was born with that skill. From the day he reported?to L.A. out of Little Rock, he was a stable influence and guiding?force—albeit a soothing one—for the Lakers.

I think some of his leadership was natural; a lot of it was also?nurture. It was, seemingly, infused into him by his family, his?upbringing in Arkansas, and the route he took to get to the highest?level.

Regardless of the source of his preternatural leadership powers, I?would go to battle with Derek.

Derek constantly worked on his game. One of the aspects he?improved significantly over the years was his jump shot. When?Derek came into the league, he was just OK from the field. He?realized pretty quickly that he would need to retool his J. So he?worked relentlessly at it and became not just a good shooter but a?dead-eye.

Derek was really good with the ball. He protected the rock like a?point guard should, and rarely turned it over. He also made solid?decisions.

As far as his role on the team went, though, he was always more?valuable than just the sum of his game. He was always patient, and?we offset each other quite a bit. That’s part of what made us such a?lethal combo.