National Basketball Association

Fisher says Barnes altercation not behind firing from Knicks

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:14 p.m. ET

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NEW YORK (AP) Derek Fisher says his altercation with forward Matt Barnes had nothing to do with his firing as New York Knicks coach.

Fisher wrote Thursday in a first-person piece in Sports Illustrated's The Cauldron that the Knicks never mentioned his personal life or that players had lost confidence in him because of it when they fired him in January after 1 1/2 years.

The altercation with Barnes, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, took place in California in October when Fisher was at the home of Gloria Govan, Barnes' estranged wife. Barnes learned Fisher was there and showed up to confront him.

In the article titled ''Truth ,'' Fisher says he didn't retaliate when Barnes started throwing punches and there was no fight, and that his relationship with Govan wasn't a secret from Barnes.

Barnes and Fisher were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2010-12.