By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a 124-123 win against Toronto Raptors, assistant coach of Sacramento Kings Jordi Fernandez made history. He took over a team after head coach Mike Brown got ejected and became the first Spaniard ever to lead a team in the NBA.
Brown stormed the court, protesting with the referees, and got himself two technical fouls in a row, which led to him leaving the game.
Fernandez then took over with a 73-64 lead for Toronto. His players got a solid finish to the third quarter and, in the fourth, pawed a way to a victory. The cherry on the top for Fernandez – first head coaching game and first win.
“It was an amazing win. You see Domantas Sabonis, and you see De’Aaron Fox and their numbers. They led the game at the end, and the ball was in their hands. I didn’t have to do much, and they gave us the win. It feels good,” Fernandez said after the game.
Celebrating Jordi’s first W! 🍾#BeamTeam | #SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/vfTc3JIGwg
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 15, 2022
Two coaches with Spanish passports had head coaching experience in the NBA, Sergio Scariolo and Kenny Atkinson, but Fernandez was the first born in Spain.
For Fernandez, it all began with Mike Brown, who recruited him to work on player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009.
He spent seven years with the Cavs, also working as the first coach of their G-league affiliate Canton Charge. After that, he worked for six years as an assistant to Mike Malone in the Denver Nuggets until Brown hired him to work as his first assistant with the Kings.