Jordi Fernández achieved the first victory for a Spanish coach in NBA history by beating the Milwaukee Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Fifteen years after his arrival in the United States, when Jordi Fernández landed with a dream burned into his mind, the Badalona native achieved the first victory for a Spanish coach in NBA history against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks (115-102). “It’s something very special, because I started from the bottom and I’ve worked very hard for this moment . It’s a goal that you can only achieve once in a lifetime and I’m very happy that all my loved ones are here,” Jordi Fernández confessed at a press conference.
From “passing balls and being the last monkey” in Cleveland , where he arrived after seducing Mike Brown after working at a summer camp, to being the head of the new Brooklyn Nets project . It is a path that no other Spanish coach has been able to follow. And Jordi Fernández has arrived in the NBA to stay. The roar that emanated from the New York locker room , followed by the coach’s tears when attending the press conference, exemplified the magnitude of the triumph at the Barclays Center.
“It was fun” explained Jordi Fernández in a press conference. After paying tribute to the giant Dikembe Mutombo with a victory, the players took it upon themselves to soak their maestro in the dressing room and give him the match ball. However, the emotion on the face of the Spanish coach , accompanied by his family and friends on his home debut, went far beyond the match.
cue the BROOOOKLYN chants for Coach Fernández's first win! pic.twitter.com/JdfermmXyu
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2024
No stars, but with a very clear project
However, as the coach himself revealed, he will not be able to put the winning ball in his house… on the orders of his wife. “My wife does a great job decorating the house and she doesn’t want me to fill it with basketball junk,” replied Jordi Fernández to draw a smile from the journalists who were there. The Spanish coach’s communication skills do not go unnoticed by the players, general managers , journalists, fans or players and are part of his arsenal as an elite player manager.
The victory means crowning a career that began on the courts of Badalona and has now reached the elite of world basketball. The coach, chosen for his ability to develop young talents, gain the trust of the players and squeeze their performance to the maximum, laid the first stone on which he intends to build his sporting church in the debut before his fans. After the franchise’s failure in recent seasons after bringing together James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving , the bet on Jordi Fernández is a radical change in the way the Nets understand the NBA.
“We know it ‘s going to be a tough year, rebuilding the team and looking to the future , but we have faith in Jordi Fernandez,” Harrison, an 18-year-old Nets fan, ventured before the game. ” Jordi Fernandez has been able to progress step by step in the NBA and has earned the opportunity to coach the Brooklyn Nets. I think that in two years, the franchise will be able to fight for the ring. Now it’s about building what we want to be. We’re very excited,” admitted the older Bruce.
Without any big stars on the Brooklyn Nets roster, the home team’s game against a franchise that already aspires to the ring with stars of the caliber of Antetokounmpo and Lillard showed how the process to follow should be. “I’m very happy. We were aggressive, physical and we were able to compete on both sides with a sustained effort over time . We found a way to win and the players did a great job. That’s the identity we want to have: play fast, with intensity, collective play and generate good shooting options,” analyzed Jordi Fernández after the victory.
Schroder, an active volcano
In a fantastic performance by Cam Thomas (32 points) and Dennis Schroder (29 points, 6 assists), the team’s defensive sacrifice was key to limiting Antetokounmpo’s scoring power, feared by all the home fans, as demonstrated by the murmurs when he took off from the court. The German, with a volcanic character, very particular and equal to his talent , presented his candidacy to be the leader of a team that today has no owner.
If two days ago he could be seen facing a fan who harshly criticized his teammate Ben Simmons , this time he took the team on his back along with Cam Thomas and enjoyed the game. Even after receiving a slap from Pat Connaughton that was about to generate a brawl between both players. What could have turned into a complicated night and with a sanction for Schroder ended in an ovation.
Jordi did an excellent defensive slide to get in front of Dennis: https://t.co/mw6TB0jaX2 pic.twitter.com/Z2Y8hJOFR0
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) October 28, 2024
Knowing how to manage a player with his personality and get the best possible version of him will also be part of Jordi Fernández’s job this season. That’s why the coach pampered the German in a press conference and highlighted his leadership against the Bucks. However, the Spaniard also showed his claws to teach the youngsters (Whitehead, Wilson, Cui, Milton or Ken Johnson) when with a few minutes left they started to raffle balls and he had to call a time-out. “What are you doing? Do you want to play in the fucking NBA or not? ” The Brooklyn Nets already have their first victory under the tutelage of Jordi Fernández.