BarcelonaJordi Fernández from Badalón has made history and led his first game as coach of the Sacramento Kings. The expulsion of the head coach, Mike Brown, was caused by the assistant taking over the team at the beginning of the third quarter. The game ended with victory against the Toronto Raptors (123-124).
“It was an incredible win. The players responded to the sending off of the manager, who has always fought hard for them. I think it was a collective effort. The fans were calm and helped me a lot, so like each of the players,” explained Fernández.
Jordi Fernández, who has experience with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings, is one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. The Cavs considered the possibility of bringing him on as head coach a few years ago, but in the end the situation was not closed.
“What we’ve all seen in the movies”
“When you come to the United States, the NBA and the country in general give you the opportunities that you’re capable of earning. You can work your way up from the bottom. It’s what we’ve all seen in the movies, the American dream. With a lot of work and enthusiasm, you can take steps forward. I come from a different culture and a different basketball. The key is to adapt to the culture and work here, which is what has given us to both the possibility of having our position here,” explained Fernández to ARA.
“In this league, as in other jobs, patience is the first thing. I see my growth. We assistant coaches are well respected in this league and I still have a long way to go. It’s true that when you savor a personal interview to be the first coach you get excited, but what you can’t do is despair. Each opportunity requires a person with certain qualities. You have to wait for the person who trusts you. For me, being the first coach neither worries me nor despairs. I trust that the opportunity will come to me sooner or later, but I have to be patient and realistic”, says the Badaloní, who has great respect for the Catalan training system. “One thing we do very well in Catalonia is train the trainers, and this is very important, since you can always learn from others and adapt it to your personality”, he summarizes.
Jordi is very good, but he is also a normal guy who shows cartoons from Club Super3 to his children so that they can practice Catalan and who tunes in via the internet to the broadcasts of Xavi Ballesteros on Ràdio Ciutat de Badalona to follow the games of the Youth from Badalona as a fan more. Despite living the day-to-day life of a competition as demanding as the NBA, the coach maintains ties with the clubs he passed through before changing continents. From Mongat to Hospitalet. “I was very excited to learn, improve and build a future for myself. In the end I had an unexpected turn and ended up on the other side of the Atlantic, but what I was doing at the time had me well on the way to what I was passionate about: being a good educator within the world of sport.” he remembers with a passion that he entrusts himself.
