After two months and endless deliberation, the Nets finally appear to have found their man.
Brooklyn is set to hire Jordi Fernandez as its next head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday. He is the Kings’ top assistant coach and the Canada men’s national team coach.
Fernandez, 41, enjoyed a glistening tenure in Sac-Town, spearheading Sacramento’s return to relevance alongside 2023 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown. A native of Barcelona, Fernandez has been linked with head-coaching candidacies across the league over the past two seasons, reportedly interviewing for vacancies in Milwaukee, Phoenix and Toronto last season.
Now he’ll get his chance with the Nets, who just endured a 32-50 season under the tutelage of Jacque Vaughn, who was fired in February, and then interim coach Kevin Ollie. Here’s what you need to know about Fernandez.
MORE: TSN’s Steph Noh shares his expert All-NBA picks
Fernandez is among the most highly-touted assistants in basketball, with a reputation for intricate offensive schemes and his great understanding of the basketball psyche.
The 41-year old was recently voted as the league’s best assistant coach by NBA general managers and even writes academic articles about hoops in his free time. He’s a real renaissance man.
Fernandez has been coaching for nearly two decades. He’s served on some of basketball’s most formidable benches, from the G-League’s Canton Charge to Mike Malone’s Nuggets.
He also impressed while serving as Team Canada’s lead tactical mind during last season’s FIBA World Cup, leading the Canadians to a third-place finish. Canada was the second-most prolific offense in that tournament, finishing just behind the All-Star team that was the United States. And now he’s leading Canada into the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fernandez has long been touted as a rising star on the NBA sidelines. Now he’ll get his chance at the helm.
Fernandez has worked with a host of big names, including LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. His move to the Nets would pair him with even more star talent.
