Sacramento Kings hire Denver Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez as associate head coach

Mike Brown won’t be officially introduced as head coach of the Kings until his season with the Golden State Warriors comes to an end, but Brown has already hired a lead assistant.

The Kings announced Wednesday they have hired Denver Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez as associate head coach. Brown and Fernandez have worked together before with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Nigerian national team.

Fernandez, 39, is a native of Spain who spent four years as a player development coach with the Cavaliers from 2009-13. He was an assistant with the G League Canton Charge in 2013-14. He was promoted to head coach of the Charge from 2014-16, compiling a 62-38 (.620) record, and has served as an assistant with the Nuggets since 2016.

Brown, who was head coach of the Cavaliers from 2005-10, was the one who hired Fernandez in Cleveland. Fernandez worked with the likes of LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson.

The Nuggets, led by former Kings coach Michael Malone, hired Fernandez as an assistant in 2016. Players in Denver have spoken highly of Fernandez. Nuggets guard Monte Morris once said Fernandez is “all about business.”

Brown turned to Fernandez again when he was named head coach of the Nigerian national team. Fernandez was part of Brown’s staff at the Olympics last summer in Tokyo.