Nets Coach Jordi Fernandez Gets Ultimate Praise from LeBron James

Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez has had quite a journey in his two decades of coaching.

Fernandez's first stop in the NBA was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, coming in as a player development coach in 2009.

The native of Spain had the luxury of working with a young LeBron James during the season he won his second straight MVP, leaving a strong impression on the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

“He was just a sponge,” James said, according to the New York Post's Brian Lewis. “Obviously, when Mike Brown brought him in, he was just a sponge. You could tell that he had a hell of a work ethic. You could tell he knew the game and you knew at some point that he would be a coach.

“Didn’t know if it would be collegiate, pro, whatever the case may be, but he would be a head coach somewhere. And he’s made it to being the head coach here and obviously it’s well deserved. So it’s pretty cool.”

It's not always common that a young coach starts off in a winning environment, but Fernandez had the opportunity to work with arguably the greatest player of all time, and that's not something he takes for granted.

"The respect is amazing, obviously," Fernandez said. "When I heard that I was on the team and I learned a lot from him, because I think that special players like him, make you be a better coach, especially me being around him being a younger younger younger, coach, so I appreciate my time with him.

Jordi Fernández reflects on his time in with LeBron James in Cleveland.

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Fernandez has also had the pleasure of working with other superstars, such as Kyrie Irving and Nikola Jokic, both before they became two of the best players in the league.

He's also had the experience of coaching a Team Canada led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the 2024 Olympics, helping them come in fifth place.

With that said, it's clear that Fernandez has been around the block and is widely respected around the league.

He's helped many, if not most, of his young players develop into solid contributors on both ends of the floor and has been great about holding all of his players accountable. Fernandez has also helped Michael Porter Jr. develop into a potential All-Star by leveraging Porter's off-ball skills.

It may be a while until the Nets start winning games more regularly again, but Fernandez's player development skills could get them there sooner rather than later.