Kings' Fernandez replaces Nurse as Canada's basketball head coach
Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez is succeeding Nick Nurse as the head coach of Canada's senior basketball team after the latter stepped down, Canada Basketball announced Wednesday.
"With Jordi, we have found a head coach who has both valuable FIBA and NBA experience and puts our team in a position to win right now," Rowan Barrett, Canada Basketball's general manager, said in a statement. "Jordi has developed a tremendous reputation working with some of the best players in the world, and we feel that the culture and connection he will build with our team will set us up for success this summer."
Fernandez, 40, will lead the national side at the FIBA World Cup this summer, which runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10. The tournament is being joint-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. Canada will compete in Group H against France, Latvia, and Lebanon.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
"To have the chance to lead Canada this summer at the World Cup is a tremendously exciting opportunity and one I'm extremely grateful for," Fernandez said in a statement. "Not many international programs have the ceiling that this team does, and it is a testament to the hard work and development Canada Basketball, as well as Nick and his staff, have put in over the last several years."
The Canadians have a pool of talented players who could represent them internationally, including reigning Denver Nuggets champion Jamal Murray and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The two were among several NBA players who made a three-year commitment to Canada Basketball last year in order to help the nation qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2000.
Nurse took over the national team in 2019 while still head coach of the Toronto Raptors, Canada's only NBA franchise. However, the Raptors fired him after the 2022-23 campaign and hired former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as his replacement.
Nurse, who now leads the Philadelphia 76ers, informed Canada Basketball he couldn't commit to the program after taking the Sixers job and helped tab Fernandez as his potential replacement, Sportsnet's Michael Grange reports.
"I have made the difficult decision to step down as head coach of the senior men's national team for Canada Basketball," Nurse said. "It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to coach this team. This is not a decision I made lightly, and after discussing it with my family, I felt it was important to dedicate my time and energy to the new opportunity I have as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I will support the transition however I can and truly appreciate the support and understanding from everyone at Canada Basketball. I am forever grateful to Canada Basketball and the amazing players, staff, and fans for embracing me and my family."
Fernandez also reportedly interviewed to replace Nurse with the Raptors and was a candidate for now-filled gigs with the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks as well. At the 2020 Summer Games, the Spanish coach was an assistant on Mike Brown's staff for the Nigerian national team.
Prior to joining the Kings as Brown's associate head coach ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Fernandez spent six seasons as an assistant on Michael Malone's Nuggets staff.