Only 22 players in NBA history have won five or more NBA Championships in their career. It is an ultra exclusive club that is a who’s who of NBA greatness. The list of players who have five or more rings consists of names such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy. The most inconspicuous name on the list is Derek Fisher.

If the average NBA fan was asked to describe Derek Fisher they would not use words such as legend and All-Star but rather describe him as a role player and a dependable veteran. While that may be the stereotypical view an outside spectator might have of Fisher don’t try to downplay his importance to Kobe Bryant or his Lakers teammates. In fact, when a reporter asked Bryant how important it was that Fisher plays with the Lakers next season, Kobe gave a definitive answer.

"We need to have him back, it's as simple as that," Bryant said.

It’s no wonder that Kobe views Derek Fisher as such a vital member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher and Bryant both came into the league together in 1996, playing their rookie seasons for the Lakers. Also, each time Bryant has won an NBA Championship in his career, Derek Fisher has been playing alongside him. Fisher is truly the proverbial glue guy that is such a vital component to an NBA title team.

That is why it is also no big surprise that after Pat Riley signed his trio of superstars (James, Wade, and Bosh); Riley targeted Fisher as a player who Miami needed to have to truly be a championship team. While Fisher may not have nearly as many All-Star appearances or scoring titles as James, Wade, and Bosh he does have five championship rings compared to the trio’s one ring (which Wade won in 2004).

That is why it is so poetic that the number one priority of the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers is to sign Derek Fisher. These two teams are the obvious favorites to win next year’s NBA Championship and they both realize what so many often overlook, that Derek Fisher is a critical component of a championship caliber team. As I said earlier, Kobe Bryant knows maybe better than anyone how vital Fisher has been to the Lakers success. LeBron James also knows that Derek Fisher could be a crucial member of the dynasty he, Wade, and Bosh are trying to build in South Beach. James considers the signing of Fisher so vital that when Derek stepped off the plane in Miami to meet with Pat Riley and Heat team president Micky Arison, LeBron was at the airport to greet Fisher and pitch him on why he should join forces with the “King”.

Fisher’s free agency decision won’t receive the publicity that James, Bosh, Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, or Dirk Nowitzki got. He might just be the player that puts Miami or L.A. over the top next season though. Obviously, you need talent to win a title but you also need players who have won a title before and that is a feat which Fisher has accomplished on more than one occasion.