SHERMAN OAKS—Former New York Knicks coach and Los Angeles Lakers player Derek Fisher was formally charged with two counts of DUI, following his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence after a single-car accident last month, TMZ first reported on Sunday, July 2. Fisher was arraigned in a Van Nuys courthouse on June 26, on the charges of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.
On June 4, just after 3 a.m., Fisher, 42, was driving his 2015 Cadillac Escalade on the 101 Freeway in the Sherman Oaks area, approaching the 405 Freeway interchange. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle, veering to the right and onto the paved shoulder. The car hit the raised concrete curb and guardrail and overturned onto its roof, blocking two lanes of the freeway. Fisher and his passenger, girlfriend and former VH1 “Basketball Wives” reality star Gloria Govan, 32, were uninjured. No other vehicles were involved in the incident. According to reports, the vehicle that Fisher was driving belonged to Govan’s ex, NBA player Matt Barnes.
If convicted as charged, Fisher faces up to six months in jail, according to TMZ. He will return to the Los Angeles Superior Court located in Van Nuys for a hearing on Wednesday, July 19.
Fisher and Govan, the ex-wife of Fisher’s former Lakers teammate Matt Barnes, have been dating since 2015. Fisher and Barnes allegedly got into an altercation in October 2015 at Govan’s home.
Fisher played in the NBA for 18 seasons. He spent 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five championships. After retiring in 2014, he was hired by New York Knicks President Phil Jackson to serve as the team’s head coach. He was fired in February 2016 during his second season. He has since worked as a broadcaster and TV analyst for the Lakers.
