By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Spanish coach Jordi Fernandez will never forget December 15. That day, he took over the Sacramento Kings bench after head coach Mike Brown got ejected and became the first coach born in Spain to lead a team in the NBA.
The assistant coach of the California team did an exceptional job as the Kings defeated Toronto Raptors 124-123.
“It all happened very fast, and the players brought this forward. It’s a part of the game, the coaches fight for their players, and it was a moment that I will never forget because of the reaction and the celebration. It was a one-off thing, and we continue with our goal of making a competitive team,” Fernandez said to “A Diario.”
Fernandez began his NBA journey with Mike Brown, who recruited him to work on player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009.
He spent seven years in the Ohio team and even worked as the first coach of their G-league affiliate Canton Charge. After that, he spent 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.
“I have worked professionally in the NBA for a long time and do not see any block towards European coaches. It is a special and very demanding league. My circumstances are very different from other coaches who have come from abroad. Every year I see that I can take steps forward, which excites me.”
The coach from Badalona also worked with Facundo Campazzo in the Denver Nuggets, who returned to Europe and signed a contract with Crvena Zvezda mts.
“He is a talent in this league and had a good first year in Denver, but in Dallas, he has been unable to show the player he is. He is a great professional and a competitor, and now with his chance at Crvena Zvezda, it will help him feel like an important player.”
Fernandez also enjoyed working with NBA superstars like Lebron James and Nikola Jokic, who shined again last night with another historic performance.
“They are different players, but beyond having a big impact on the game, they make their teammates much better, and that in superstars is very difficult to see,” Jordi Fernandez concluded.