Interviews with the Raptors and the Bucks, finalist for the position of head coach with the Suns… During this offseason, the name of Jordi Fernandez has continued to circulate in the halls of the NBA.
Failing to obtain a position of “head coach” in the Great League, the assistant was rewarded on the international scene by replacing Nick Nurse, now occupied by the Sixers, at the head of the Canadian selection. And this a few weeks before a World Cup for which Canada does not lack ambition, due to a concentration of talent never seen for the country.
” It’s a great challenge and you have to get results right away. This is the best experience I can have right now », rejoices the 40-year-old technician whose team signed a sensational introduction: a victory of 30 points against the Blues.
This World Cup thus has the double vocation of restoring the Canadian image, while allowing the coach to continue to increase his rating. This is already high because of his six years as an assistant in a big Western team, the Nuggets, before following Mike Brown last season to the Kings, surprising 3rd in the conference.
“ He will become an NBA head coach. He is someone who knows the game, who knows how to communicate and bond with the players “, describes his former mentor in Denver, Mike Malone.
” He doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
” Many successful coaches have worked in the minor leagues and overseas and used that experience as a testing phase. And Jordi did it all “, judge for his part Chris Finch, in reference to the experiences of his counterpart with the Spanish and Nigerian selections, but also at the head of the G-League team of Canton Charge.
” He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is trustworthy. Every path is different and his has been, but he’s been involved in a lot of things that lead to success “, completes the Wolves coach, who passed through Denver, at the same time as Jordi Fernandez.
The native of Badalone indeed stands out with his unique career. This one grew up near Barcelona, studied in Amsterdam and left a doctoral program in sports psychology as well as a successful events agency, which he owned in 2009, for a… quasi-unpaid internship with the Cavaliers.
“ My friends and associates in the business that I ran would say to me, ‘Are you crazy?’ I was 26 and spoke broken English, but decided what I was doing wasn’t what I wanted for the rest of my life. “, remembers Jordi Fernandez who, after this stroke of professional poker, is approaching the highest steps of world basketball.
