Jordi Fernández Torres (Badalona, 41 years old) these days draws the last details on the board before his imminent official debut as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, an NBA franchise in full reconstruction. The coach, who began his career at the age of 15 in the youth ranks of CB Sant Josep, will break another seemingly insurmountable barrier for Spanish basketball next morning on October 24 against the Atlanta Hawks. As Fernando Martín was on the court in his day, he will be a pioneer from the bench. His ambition is to leave an extensive and permanent mark in both the United States and Spain.
Ask. What does it mean to you to be the first?
Answer. For me it is a pride. I hope to be the first of many and that the next one doesn’t take so long to arrive. For me it is not important what I have achieved, but rather being able to open doors for other people, that is what would make me most excited.
Q. How was the landing in Brooklyn?
R. Very positive. At the family level we are very happy. We are in a very good area, a good community and a very familiar part of the city, which allows us to walk to many places, be active, with a lot of diversity and activities. This is very important because our families are the ones who live in cities the most, because we travel a lot more. At the organizational level, delighted with the plan we already have in place.
Q. Is being a head coach in the NBA being what you expected?
R. Nothing has surprised me, but it is true that the level of commitment and attention is very great. Everyone wants and needs to know about you, everyone has questions for you. It is an experience that I have never had, not at this level. In the end, you are a group manager and that is the most important thing: delegate and make sure everything works well.
Q. “The important thing is not to arrive, but to stay,” he said a few months ago. What is the plan to achieve it?
R. Maybe I don’t have the answer yet. We have just started, but it is maintaining the line of the 15 years that I have been in the United States. Working, with enthusiasm, knowing that there will be good and bad moments. Mistakes happen, and we all make them. The difference is how we learn from them and move forward. I am not afraid, because that is how I have faced my life and my career.
Q. Who has given you the best advice since you got the job?
R. For me it was an honor, because it was Gregg Popovich, one of the best, if not the best coach in history. It was simple advice, but sometimes the simple things are the most complicated. He advised me to be myself, to be loyal to my principles and to myself. “That’s the best thing you can do, the important thing is to have confidence in your way of doing things and believe in it, so that the group can believe too.” I really appreciate the advice you gave me, especially thinking about the person it came from.
Q. What can Nets people expect from Jordi Fernández?
R. As they say around here, the “grit and grind”. I would translate it as claw. A team that works and competes every day. The idea is to represent our neighborhood, our community in Brooklyn, all the people who support us. More than the number of victories or defeats, what concerns us is establishing a work culture, an identity and winning habits in the long term. In groups, standards and mutual demands are important.
Q. When did you realize that leading human groups was your thing?
R. There was no specific moment, but when I played basketball I always had that role of organizer and communicator.
Q. Is generating close ties a natural gift or a worked one?
R. It’s something we can all work on. Relationships are made through effort and perseverance. It is important to have the will and invest time daily. A relationship is like a job or a task, you can always improve and learn from it.
Q. Can you combine being an elite coach with taking good care of your family?
R. You can do it with a good teammate, in this case my wife. My job is very demanding, a big challenge at the family level, since it takes up many hours. The trips, the summers, and with small children like in my case, who are five and seven years old, it is not easy. A job like this is not just about the volume of hours, but about the pressure and stress. That affects your daily life. In a team you are never alone, and without my wife it would be impossible.
Q. And how do you disconnect from work?
R. I try not to work when I’m at home. Cooking as a family helps me a lot. Another thing that distracts me is music, specifically vinyl. Now I have a small ambition to put together a good collection.
Q. For a kid from Badalona, has it been easy to adapt to American society?
R. When we leave the circle of comfort, we all expose ourselves to challenges. It is never easy, not only because of the language but because of the lifestyle, the food, the schedules and a long etcetera. For me it has been more positive than negative, and I always learn from other cultures and take away all the good things they can give you.
Q. In the long run, thinking about family and children, do you imagine living in the United States or Spain?
R. My wife and my children are the most important thing. Where they are, I will be. For me, Spain is very important, and I would love to live there. If they want, we will do it, and if not, living between Spain and the United States sounds like a very good option… in the long term.
“I look at other people’s press conferences; Our job is to lead and communicate”
Jordi Fernández, coach of the Brooklyn Nets
Q. Joe Mazzulla, coach of the champion Celtics, recognized the great influence of Pep Guardiola on his game. Steve Kerr spoke in the same terms about Jürgen Klopp. Are you also inspired by football?
R. Honestly, no. I don’t watch football to try to learn from the game. I see it because I really like sports. I do look, for example, at the press conferences. In our job, which is leading groups and communicating, you learn a lot from other people. It is good and interesting to talk and share experiences with technicians from other disciplines, generating links with them.
