The Jordi Fernández Era Begins: First Spanish NBA Coach

Jordi Fernández, born in Badalona, "the cradle of Spanish basketball," as the town's motto says, will break one of the few remaining glass ceilings in world basketball this Thursday. The Catalan coach took charge of the Brooklyn Nets this summer, becoming the third European coach to lead an NBA team. Previously, only Igor Kokoskov (Serbia) in the 2018-2019 season with the Phoenix Suns and Darko Rajakovic (Serbia) since last season with the Toronto Raptors had done so.

The North American League has always been a restricted area for foreign coaches. David Blatt (Israel) or Steve Kerr (born in Lebanon) are the other exceptions among which a Spanish coach now stands. "It's an honor, something very special," declared the 41-year-old from Badalona at his presentation. "I am very grateful. I want this to be the only place where I am a head coach and can retire here," he expressed. His gratitude seems sincere. His path to making a name for himself in the most dazzling competition is full of merits and sacrifices.

Jordi Fernández was a point guard. He played at a young age even in the EBA League but, like most playmakers, he was interested in understanding the game. He began coaching in the youth categories of Barcelona and Lleida while earning a degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. He went to study in Amsterdam and work in Norway until the summer of 2006 changed his life again. "I went to America with nothing and ended up in a company that trained professional players during vacations," he recalled in an interview with 'El País'.

Since then, he has been jumping from one opportunity to another. In 2009, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2014 he took charge of the Development League team, in 2016 he became the principal assistant of the Denver Nuggets, and in 2022 with the Kings. He didn't rest in the summer either. Assistant to Scariolo in the 2017 Eurobasket, assistant to Nigeria in the Tokyo Games, and head coach of Canada since 2023. "Here I am just one of them, the years give you respect," he feels once he has become an NBA coach.

His milestone contrasts with the worst figure in terms of the number of Spanish players in the NBA. With Usman Garuba's return to Real Madrid, since 2003 with the arrival of Raúl López, there have always been at least two representatives in the competition where Pau Gasol broke through in 2001. In 2016, a historic maximum of ten national representatives was recorded. In the 2024-2025 season, only Santi Aldama will take to the court of the world's best league.

The slump of Spanish players in this intergenerational stage after the retirements of the Gasol brothers, Calderón, or the departure of Ricky Rubio coincides with the era where the NBA is more open than ever to European talent. France leads the export with 15 players; while Germany has 8, Serbia 6, Lithuania and Turkey 3, while the presence in the Euroleague and ACB is also decreasing year by year. This is affected by the proliferation of many promising young players moving to American universities, following the path of Santi Aldama. For now, projects like Izan Almansa and Aday Mara (2005) barely have prominence, while Juan Nuñez (2004), chosen this summer in the Draft (36th pick), is yet to see if he finally makes the leap.