LITTLE ROCK – Former UALR Trojan and current New York Knicks head coach
Derek Fisher received an honorary Doctor of Liberal Arts Degree at UALR's graduation commencement on Saturday.
Joined onstage by Chancellor Joel Anderson, Director of Athletics Chasse Conque, Dean Shearle Furnish and Dr. Jeff Kyong-McClain, Fisher addressed the crowd at yesterday's commencement.
"This is your day. It's not my day," Fisher told the crowd. "I am here in support of what you have accomplished. To Chancellor Anderson, the Board of Trustees, to everyone in the faculty here at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, thank you for what you do. Not just for these students, but for our University and our city."
Fisher played four seasons at UALR from 1992-96 under head coaches Jim Platt and Wimp Sanderson. A two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection, he was named the 1996 Sun Belt Player of the Year while leading UALR to 23 wins and its third National Invitation Tournament. That same year, he was a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) First Team All-District Selection and an honorable mention Basketball Weekly All-American.
He came to UALR from Little Rock Parkview HS. As a senior, Fisher averaged 11.9 points and 3.3 assists while helping lead the Patriots to a 35-1 record, a state championship and a top-five national ranking. All five Parkview starters earned Division I scholarship.
"I want to tell you first-hand, that whatever it is that you imagine you can be, it is absolutely possible," Fisher said. "I'm proof, and there are many people sitting in this room who are proof, that right here at UALR everything you want to be can be accomplished. But you're the driver."
A five-time world champion, Fisher has played in (259) and won (161) more NBA playoff games than any player in league history. He served as president of the NBA Players Association from 2006-13 and played a pivotal role in ending the 2011 NBA lockout.
"If you're specific about your passion, it will eventually lead you to your purpose," Fisher said. "For me, following my passions in life and things I believed in, are what have led me to being so honored and humbled to stand here today."
