NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets hired Jordi Fernández as their new coach on Monday. The Nets are looking to bounce back after missing out on the postseason for the first time in six years.
Brooklyn finished the season 32-50 and fired coach Jacque Vaughn during All-Star weekend. Assistant Kevin Ollie finished the season as interim coach.
Fernández, who is the first Spanish coach in the NBA, spent the last two seasons as an associate coach with the Sacramento Kings and helped the team reach the playoffs last year for the first time since 2006.
Born in Badalona, he also coaches the Canadian men’s team and led the team to win the bronze medal at the Basketball World Cup.
The Nets competed in the postseason five years in a row between 2019 and 2023, but despite the results they have not been able to keep a coach. After they replaced Kenny Atkinson during the 2019-20 campaign, Steve Nash and Vaughn spent short stints at the helm. Ollie and Vaughn also spent time as interims.
They hope Fernández, the franchise’s 24th coach, is the good one.
“As we continued our extensive search over the past six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Jordi is the best coach to lead the team going forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jordi comes with diverse experience and basketball knowledge that he has gained in a coaching career that has taken him all over the world.”
Fernández spent six seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets before leaving for Sacramento. He led the Canton Charge to consecutive appearances in the G League Eastern Conference finals.
He was also an assistant for the Spanish and Nigerian national teams.
Now he takes over as head of the Nets who fired Vaughn a year after they extended his contract. They went 11-17 under Ollie and opted to focus on young players after falling out of playoff contention.
“I am excited to get to work with the talented group of young people and collectively lead the team forward,” said Fernández. “Together we are committed to building something special for Nets fans and the neighborhood that will make them proud.”
2024-04-22 15:45:00
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