From the Canyadó neighborhood to Brooklyn. He went from playing with friends on a street court in Badalona to becoming the first Spanish coach in NBA history. From leading a cadet team to being the coach of Canada, World Cup bronze medalist and with the Paris Games on the horizon. The incredible journey of Jordi Fernández represents another national milestone in the mecca of basketball: the pioneer Fernando Martín, Pau Gasol’s rings, the Olympic finals against the Deam Team, Pau and Marc’s retired jerseys with the Lakers and Memphis… And now the signing of the 41-year-old Catalan coach as head coach of the Nets, a new summit that the Badalonesan puts into perspective.
“This is not the end of the road,” he expressed this Tuesday in a talk with Spanish media; “They are always steps forward in my career and this is another one that seems bigger or has more impact, but for me it is still another. It is an honor, but the important thing is not to arrive but to stay, and for that I need to make a competitive and respected project.”
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Fernández has patiently climbed each step in front of him since he landed in the United States 15 years ago. The last one was being promoted from first assistant at the Sacramento Kings to head of the Brooklyn Nets. But not even that unprecedented promotion alters his philosophy one millimeter. “I am the same person, the same child who went out to the court in the Canyadó neighborhood, in Badalona, who played in the street. These are things from my origins that have not changed for me. Although I have been away for many years, I keep my friends there, my parents. It is important that I be the same person. My origins are very marked and being at home, next to the sea, walking, playing basketball, makes me feel good, gives me comfort. It means not stopping being who you are,” says the coach.
“I don’t feel vertigo. I am very excited to learn, to be challenged, and if I took it any other way, it wouldn’t help me. I don’t do it for others, but for myself and my family. I want to feel like I’ve always felt, a coach, an educator. This is what I have learned in Badalona. I was excited to be part of a competitive team, and it is the same when I was a cadet as it is now that I have players with other abilities. The pressure is obvious, but it is part of the job,” he adds.
The Badalonese was introduced a few days ago as coach of the Nets. Ahead, six months until the next NBA season begins, with the Games hiatus ahead of Canada. It was the bronze won in the last World Cup, after defeating the United States, that opened the door to the Brooklyn bench for him: “Managing eight NBA players in that team was very important. Without that I wouldn’t be where I am.”
JORDI FERNÁNDEZ! 🙌
🇪🇸 First coach born in Spain to direct an NBA game as head coach. And with a victory against the Raptors.pic.twitter.com/euqEbL2hPa
— Gigantes del Basket (@GIGANTESbasket) December 15, 2022
That boy who played in Badalona did not dream of stepping on the basketball moon. “I’m not going to lie, I never had the goal, when I was younger, of being an NBA coach. He always had the enthusiasm to learn. I studied in Holland, far from home I learned a lot by being outside my comfort zone. There my mind opened,” he recalls. And the opportunities began to arrive and to burn stages while the American League attracted foreign talent on the court (125 foreign players, a record, this year) and on the wing: Fernández inherits the Serbians Igor Kokoskov (Phoenix) and Darko Rajakovic (Raptors ) as the only Europeans in charge of a franchise.
“Everyone has their superpowers, who you are and why you are where you are. In my case, my European training has been very important to access this job. And I have adapted,” reflects Fernández, the last link in a long list of successes in Spanish basketball. “Our game is very respected. From Pau and Marc to Ricky, Calderón, Garbajosa… there have been four generations together and that has a lot of merit. We have all seen the national team reinvent itself. All NBA franchises travel to Spain multiple times a year. It is something to be proud of,” says Jordi Fernández, who especially points out Sergio Scariolo as a reference: “he is my father of European basketball.”
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2024-05-01 03:15:00
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