Who is Jordi Fernandez: Sacramento Kings coach creates history by being the first Spanish coach to be in charge of an NBA team during a game

Jordi Fernandez is the assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings and is of Spanish descent. Never before has a Spaniard taken charge of an NBA team till most recently. Fernandez became the first Spanish coach to lead an NBA team last night when the Kings took on the Toronto Raptors in a dramatic 124-123 win.

Sacramento coach Mike Brown was ejected from the game after a heated argument with the referee. Brown was tossed out of the game in the third quarter with 9:09 minutes left on the clock. Whenever the head coach gets ejected, the assistant coach automatically subs in for him.

Despite the unfortunate situation, it turned out to be a history-changing moment for Fernandez. For two consecutive quarters, Fernandez became the acting head coach and secured a Kings win. The substitute head coach was obviously happy with the situation and expressed his thoughts during the postgame press conference.

"I'm very excited. I'm proud, but the most important thing is to be able to give Mike (Brown) and the team the victory," Fernandez told the press conference after the game.

Even the Kings players were ecstatic about the history-making moment. Domantas Sabonis expressed his gratitude towards Fernandez for helping them win the game despite Brown's ejection.

"Jordi taking the initiative, he did a great job," Sabonis noted. "I'm just happy for this team. He is doing a very hard job. In defense, he is always telling us where to be, and he helps us a lot. He's the first coach on defense, and that's how we're going to win games."

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Who is Jordi Fernandez?

Previously, Jordi Fernandez served as an assistant for the Spain national team. He joined the Impact Basketball Academy in 2006, an organization devoted to the development of NBA players. In the 2009-10 season, Fernandez joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as a development coach under Mike Brown.

According to sources, Fernandez stayed with Cleveland till LeBron James won the Cavs their first title. After a championship run, Fernandez found bigger opportunities. The Denver Nuggets signed him in 2016 to become an assistant coach. This was his first official assistant coaching stint in the NBA, and Fernandez stuck around for six seasons.

The Sacramento Kings confirmed Jordi Fernandez's hiring as Mike Brown's assistant in May 2022. This is now the second time both coaches have worked together.