The New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets rivalry has an added layer this season. Newly-hired Knicks head coach Mike Brown has been a mentor to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who served as an associate head coach with the Sacramento Kings from 2022 to 2024.
While Brown and Fernandez still share a close bond, the New York head coach made an NSFW declaration ahead of Sunday’s matchup with Brooklyn.
“It’s great [coaching against Jordi]. I’m just happy for him and his family,” Brown said. “He’s a great young coach. He’s got a young team, obviously, so they gotta figure things out. Anytime I get a chance to see him, I always love to see him, but I want to kick his ass.”
Fernandez first met Brown while working with the now Knicks coach’s son, Elijah, at a basketball training program in Las Vegas.
Mike Brown and Jordi Fernandez face off during Knicks-Nets rivalry
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Impressed with Fernandez’s approach, Brown hired the Spanish coach in a player development role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fernandez was with the Cavaliers for seven years, two of which he spent as head coach of Cleveland’s G League affiliate.
He then spent six years with the Denver Nuggets before reuniting with Brown in Sacramento and landing Brooklyn’s head-coaching gig. Fernandez earned league-wide praise last season while leading the tanking Nets to a 9-10 start before finishing 26-56.
“I wouldn’t be here without Mike Brown. [I have] a lot of love for him as a person, coach, mentor,” Fernandez said ahead of Sunday’s game. “He brought me from Spain to the US, so I wouldn’t be here literally without him. He also hired me as an associate head coach, and I think it was a big platform for me to get a job as a head coach. It’s not just those two moments, but a long relationship and learning from someone like him who is very successful and a great, great person.”
