Jordi Fernandez is stepping away as head coach of the Canadian senior men’s national basketball team, Sportsnet has learned from multiple sources.
The longtime NBA assistant and current head coach of the Brooklyn Nets took over from Nick Nurse in the summer of 2023 when Nurse unexpectedly left the position due to a conflict with his then-new role as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fernandez led Canada to the best international result the men’s program has had in the modern era, a run to the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, while simultaneously qualifying for the 2024 Olympics. It was men’s first appearance at the Olympic tournament since 2000 and just the second since 1988.
At the Olympics, Canada went undefeated through pool play in the so-called ‘group of death,’ with wins over Spain, Greece and Australia. They drew France for their sudden-death quarterfinal matchup and lost 82-73 to the home side in Paris. France went on to capture the silver medal after dropping the final to Team USA.
Fernandez had indicated as recently as last month that he intended to stay on as head coach with an eye toward the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
Canada Basketball chief executive officer Michael Bartlett didn’t offer a comment when reached by Sportsnet. Men’s team general manager Rowan Barrett was not able to be reached for comment.
As head coach of the national team, Fernandez led Canada to a 9-3 record at the two most prestigious events in international basketball, and signature wins over seven of the top 13 teams in the current FIBA world rankings, as well as a win over No. 1 Team USA in the bronze medal game at the World Cup.
The Canadian men’s team is currently ranked fifth in the world.
