Jordi Fernandez still set to coach Canadian men’s basketball team at Olympics after taking Nets job – MASHAHER

Canadian men’s national-team head coach Jordi Fernandez was hired Monday as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but Canada Basketball says the new job won’t affect the Spaniard’s place at the Paris Olympics.

Fernandez took the Team Canada job last June after former coach Nick Nurse left the role amid his transition from the Toronto Raptors to Philadelphia 76ers. His new role with the Nets triggered some fears that history may be repeating itself with just two months remaining until the 2024 Games.

But Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said in a statement Monday that would not be the case.

“We can confirm that Jordi will remain as our coach this summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as we look to build on the success we had last summer,” he said, adding that Canada Basketball worked closely with both the Nets and Fernandez throughout the hiring process.

The native of Badalona, Spain, then led Canada to a bronze medal last year in the Basketball World Cup, where the team qualified for its first Olympics since 2000 in the process.

In Paris, Canada’s seventh-ranked men’s team will be in Group A alongside fifth-ranked Australia, the winner of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Spain and the winner of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece.

In a statement posted by the Nets to X, formerly known as Twitter, Fernandez said he was “grateful” to receive his first NBA head coaching opportunity.

“I am eager to get to work with this talented group of players and collectively drive our team forward. Together, we will be fully committed to building something special for Nets fans and the borough to be proud of for years to come,” he said.

Fernandez, 41, spent the last two seasons as associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings, helping them reach the playoffs last year for the first time since 2006.

The Nets finished 32-50 and fired Jacque Vaughn at the all-star break. Kevin Ollie finished out the season as the interim coach.

Fernandez spent six seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets before moving to Sacramento. He also led the Canton Charge to consecutive appearances in the NBA G League Eastern Conference finals.

Fernandez has also been an assistant coach for both the Spanish and Nigerian national teams.

Now he takes over a Nets one that fired Vaughn just a year after giving him a contract extension. They went 11-17 under Ollie, focusing on their young players down the stretch after falling out of playoff contention.