SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Jazz agreed to release guard
Derek Fisher from his contract Monday so he can concentrate on
finding the best care for his 11-month-old daughter, who has cancer
in her left eye.
Fisher
Fisher said he wants to live in one of the six or seven cities
being considered for Tatum's care.
He didn't rule out playing for another NBA team but emphasized
that his daughter's health is his No. 1 priority.
"Life for me outweighs the game of basketball," Fisher told
reporters after flying from New York to meet with Jazz owner Larry
H. Miller and other team executives.
"When it comes to decisions related to them," he said of his
family, "I do what's best."
Life for me outweighs the game of basketball.
Derek Fisher
The Jazz acquired Fisher a year ago in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. During eight seasons with the
Los Angeles Lakers,
he was part of three NBA championships -- experience that Utah's
young team craved.
In May, his daughter was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a
cancerous tumor in her left eye. The danger is that it could spread
to her brain or the rest of her body.
Fisher at times fought exhaustion trying to balance basketball
and his daughter's welfare. He spent a day at a New York hospital
in May, then flew to Utah for a Western Conference semifinal game
against Golden State.
Only 350 cases of retinoblastoma are diagnosed each year in
North America, according to Dr. A. Linn Murphree, director of the
retinoblastoma program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, who is
not involved in the Fisher case.
In most cases, patients lose the eye rather than undergo
chemotherapy, but there are exceptions.
After the news conference, Fisher and wife Candace were flying
to New York for another medical appointment Tuesday.
"Outwardly she's doing great. Her spirits are good," Fisher
said of Tatum.
He said his desire to leave Utah does not mean that medical care
here is weak. Rather, Fisher said he and his wife need a place that
has the "right combination" of specialists.
He declined to identify the cities under consideration. Many NBA
players work apart from their families, but it's not an option for
him. He and Candace have four children.
"For me and my family, we just don't believe in it. ... I don't
think I could be the player I could be if I had to carry that
load," Fisher said.
Wiping away tears, Miller said Fisher "leaves a legacy" of
leadership and toughness for Utah's young players.
"He's focused on the most important thing," the owner said of
Fisher's request to leave the Jazz.
Fisher doesn't want to retire but acknowledged it's a
possibility.
"I'll be 33 in August. I'm 6-1. I averaged 10 points this
year," he said. "I don't know how many people feel strongly about
what I do."