In 2007, former NBA player Derek Fisher made the difficult decision to forfeit approximately $21 million of his contract with the Utah Jazz to relocate his family to Los Angeles for his infant daughter's cancer treatment. Fisher's daughter, Tatum, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, when she was 11 months old.
Fisher stated in a recent interview that the move was imperative because the necessary medical specialists for his daughter were located in Los Angeles. He explained that the decision to return to his home city was independent of his basketball career. While the Jazz and Fisher explored trade options, the urgency of his daughter's condition and his commitment to being in Los Angeles led to a mutual agreement for a "zero-dollar buyout," granting him the freedom to move.
At the time, Fisher was not focused on his next basketball move but on securing the best possible medical care for Tatum. "We're going to have to live in a city that has the hospitals and the medical care that my daughter needs, regardless of basketball," he said.
Following his relocation, Fisher signed a three-year contract worth $14.1 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. This marked his second stint with the Lakers, having previously helped the team achieve three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002 alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. During the 2007 NBA playoffs, Fisher commuted between Utah and New York to visit his daughter while she underwent treatment. He went on to win two more NBA championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.