If Marcus Fizer’s second chance at a first impression works out in the NBA, that chance could come with the Golden State Warriors.
The comeback is officially underway.
Last week, Fizer and a handful of former NBA players and veterans underwent a two-day workout with the Warriors, with the free agent mini-camp participants including Solomon Alabi, Alexis Ajinca, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Lester Hudson.
At 34-years old Fizer — the fourth overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls — apparently has camp invites from four NBA teams already on the table and is positioning himself to play at the Las Vegas Summer League with the Warriors.
Now with his trademark toughness in the paint and a renewed faith, the 6-foot-9 veteran forward can only hope his road back to the league begins in the Bay Area.
"I didn't approach the game the right way. I didn't approach my job the right way. If I can be here to help those guys not go the way I did, I'll take that 100 times out of 100,” Fizer said of his first go-around in the NBA. "I finally got myself to realize that my purpose in life is bigger than what I want to do. It's to help the people who are coming up behind me.”
Fizer has undergone multiple ACL surgeries and bounced around the world playing basketball: Spain, Puerto Rico, Israel, Taiwan, Argentina and a stint in the D-League (where he was named MVP in 2006).
During his NBA career, Fizer averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, in 289 career games between Chicago, Milwaukee and New Orleans.
