Jordi Fernandez on Mike Brown being fired from Kings: ‘really sad news’

Mike Brown was Jordi Fernandez’s mentor in Sacramento, and the first-year Nets head coach was saddened to learn the Kings fired his close friend on Friday.

Brown was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2023, but he was axed after the Kings got off to a 13-18 start this season.

“He’s just very good at what he does, in my opinion, one of the best. I would not be here without him,” Fernandez, who served as Brown’s ᴀssociate head coach from 2022-24, said before the Nets’ 96-87 loss to the Spurs at Barclays Center. “Obviously, to me, it’s really sad news, and I don’t like it. It’s part of the business. Things can go one way, where you think about a year and a half ago, he’s Coach of the Year, and now this situation happens.

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez says Mike Brown being fired as the Kings' coach was "really sad news." — Nets coach Jordi Fernandez says Mike Brown being fired as the Kings’ coach was “really sad news.”

“So I wasn’t there in the last few weeks, months, but Mike means a lot to me. Mike is, like I said, one of the best. And seeing this is something that, as we can all say, part of the business. But me, personally, I don’t like it.”

Fernandez, a native of Spain, added that the 54-year-old Brown “brought me to the U.S. and to work in the NBA all the way through last year.”

Ben Simmons still has not played in both ends of back-to-back games this season due to maintenance for a lower back injury.

Fernandez said he’s “not going to answer” when he expects that restriction will be lifted for the three-time All-Star.

“But he’s doing great,” Fernandez added. “The good thing is we go from a certain amount of minutes to now he’s playing around 30 lately. You guys have seen his production, ᴀssists, how aggressive he’s been, which is very good for the group. The next step is playing back-to-backs, but we’re not just going to do it just to do it.We’re going to do it whenever we believe his body is ready to handle it, because that’s what’s most important.”

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Kings coach Mike Brown was fired by the team on Friday.

Asked after logging 29 minutes in Thursday’s comeback win in Milwaukee when he expected to play both ends of a back-to-back for the first time this season, Simmons responded, “whatever they allow me to do, that’s when I’ll be out there.”