Lakers legend and fan-favorite Derek Fisher will coach the Crespi Carmelite High School basketball team for the 2023-24 season.

The head coaching announcement came Monday afternoon through a school press release, welcoming Fisher in his new role.

“Crespi Carmelite High School announces Derek Fisher as Head Basketball Coach,” Brian Bilek, Crespi director of athletics said in the announcement. “We are honored and excited to welcome Coach Fisher to the Crespi Family. Coach Fisher brings his strong work ethic, leadership, and discipline rooted in his Christian faith.”

Fisher, 48, has prior head coaching experience with the NBA’s New York Knicks from 2014-2016 and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 2019-2022.

Over the last year, Fisher coached 8th-grade boys at Heritage Christian School through his youth program, the Team Derek Fisher Club.

“My family and I are thankful and grateful for this opportunity to join the Crespi Family,” Fisher said in a statement. “Coaching and teaching is a true passion and I look forward to continuing this focus on the next generation of young student-athletes.”

The player-turned-coach spent 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and was part of five championship teams, playing alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the 2000-2002 “three-peat” teams, and the back-to-back championship teams of 2009 and 2010.


Crespi is a 4-year private Catholic school for boys in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino. The basketball program plays in the Mission League, which includes Sierra Canyon High School, where LeBron James’ two sons, Bronny and Bryce James played their high school basketball. Robert Horry, Fisher’s former teammate on the Lakers, also had a son attend a rival high school in Harvard-Westlake.

Last season, Crespi finished 18-12 and lost to Vista Murrieta in the 2023 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Boys’ Basketball Championship tournament.

“We would also like to thank the dedicated members of the community whose efforts and input helped us select a coach we firmly believe is committed to the holistic development of student-athletes,” Bilek added. “Crespi Basketball now prepares to boldly enter a new era under Coach Fisher’s leadership with a program poised to continue its tradition of excellence.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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