By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jordi Fernandez is in his second season as the Sacramento Kings‘ associate head coach. He has been in the NBA since 2016, previously working as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets coaching staff for six years and is now working his way towards leading an NBA team.
However, despite winning the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup with the Canadian national team, Fernandez is not in a hurry to become an NBA head coach.
“It all adds up. Those of us who have not been head coaches in the NBA, in the end, it is also important that they see you in that role, wherever it may be. I have had the privilege of doing it in the G League, now in a World Cup, and soon in the Olympic Games. This will eventually come: being in a hurry never helps, and I have no anxiety about being a head coach,” Fernandez said to EFE, as Mundo Deportivo reports.
The Spanish coach also spoke about Ricky Rubio’s return to the court.
“I told him: it is the best thing that has happened to me in recent months. That he has spoken openly about it can help a lot of people.”
Fernandez has the privilege to work with NBA leader in triple-doubles, Domantas Sabonis, with the Lithuanian center getting snubbed for an All-Star appearance, despite already having 21 triple-doubles and also leading the league prior to the All-Star weekend.
“It’s a disappointment because he deserves it; it’s part of the collective success. We can’t control the opinion of the rest; you can only take it as another motivation to continue working and prove that they were wrong. Those who were in his place are also great players, and in the end, it is the decision of external people. I think that ‘Domas’ is highly valued in this institution. It is something public; you just have to go to his contract and see what he earns. He is an easy person to work with. In this league, where we all know that the stars are more extravagant, he is a great teammate, too normal. Works a lot every day. I think because he is a foreigner,” Jordi Fernandez stated.