The Plenary Session of the City Council, meeting in an extraordinary session, recognized this Saturday “the sporting career and the dissemination of the name of the city of Badalona throughout the world” by the first Spaniard to direct one of the teams in the best professional basketball league. world
The mayor, Xavier Garcia Albiol, has stated that “the name of Jordi Fernández remains, from today, forever linked to the history of Badalona and will serve as an example to new generations.”
Tribute to his career
Jordi Fernández Torres, head coach of the New York Brooklyn Nets NBA team, is from today Badalona’s favorite son. The Plenary Session of the City Council, meeting in an extraordinary session, has unanimously decided this in recognition “of his sporting career in which he has spread the name of the city of Badalona throughout the world.”
Jordi Fernández, born in 1982 in Badalona, is the first Spaniard to direct a team in the best professional basketball league in the world, with millions of followers around the world. Since the birth of the NBA (National Basketball Association) in 1946, only 5 people born outside the United States have held the position of head coach of one of the NBA franchises.
Jordi Fernández participated in his tribute through a video.
During the event it was mentioned that Badalona, with a population of 225,957 inhabitants, has more than 4,000 federated athletes and technicians in the base category and that Jordi Fernández himself was one of those children who started as a player in the base categories of the Club Joventut de Badalona and it was also in the city of Badalona where he began his path as an assistant coach.
In the Declaration as a favorite son, Jordi Fernández wanted to highlight “his sporting and city values, which he has championed in each of his public statements.” Precisely, during his presentation, on April 24, as the new coach of the Brooklyn Nets, in front of media from around the world and with a million-dollar audience of viewers, his first words were dedicated to his city: “I have been in the city for 15 years. NBA, but I was born and raised in Badalona. And I don’t know if you know it, but it is one of the best basketball cities in Europe, in the world. You can feel and experience basketball on the street. (…) It is my home and I will always return.”
Jordi Fernández will serve as an example for future generations of Badalona
In a video recorded in New York, and which could be seen in the Plenary Hall, Jordi Fernández was very grateful for this recognition and had a memory for all his friends and family in Badalona and all those people who They have helped him in his sporting career. “It is an honor to be able to represent Badalona every day of my life,” Jordi Fernández concluded by saying.
The mayor, Xavier Garcia Albiol, has stated that “the name of Jordi Fernández is, from today, forever linked to the history of Badalona.” The mayor highlighted that “his figure is an example of sacrifice, dedication and affection for basketball and, we are convinced, as has been reflected today, that he serves and will serve as an inspiration for the current and future generations of Badaloneses.” “On behalf of all the residents of Badalona, we wish you the best professionally and personally and we wanted to thank you with this recognition for carrying the name of Badalona with pride,” the mayor concluded.
The mayor, Xavier Garcia Albiol, with Jordi Fernández’s parents. 
The Declaration act as the city’s favorite son took place in the Session Hall of the Town Hall with the attendance of Jordi Fernández’s parents, family and friends, as well as presidents and representatives of basketball and sports clubs in Badalona.
The name of Jordi Fernández is added as Badalona’s favorite son to the list of personalities that includes the swimmer Mireia Belmonte; the singer Miguel Poveda; the actor Enric Borràs, the historian and archaeologist Joaquim Font i Cussó; and who was mayor of Badalona, Salvador Serentill i Costa.
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