NEW YORK (AP) — Jordi Fernandez was hired Monday as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.
The Nets finished 32-50 and fired Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break. Kevin Ollie finished out the season as the interim coach.
Fernandez spent the last two seasons as associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings, helping them win the Pacific Division title last year and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The native of Badalona, Spain, also coaches Canada's men's national team, leading the country to a bronze medal last year in the Basketball World Cup. The Canadians beat the U.S. in the third-place game for their first medal in the event.
The Nets made five straight playoff appearances from 2019-23, yet have not been able to stick with a coach despite those results. After Kenny Atkinson was replaced during the 2019-20 season, Steve Nash and Vaughn both had short stays as head coach, with Vaughn and Ollie also serving interim stints.
They hope Fernandez, the franchise's 24th coach, is one who could last.
“As we progressed through an extensive search over the past six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Jordi is the best coach to lead our team forward," general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jordi brings a diverse set of experiences and basketball knowledge gained over the course of a coaching career that has taken him around the world.”
Fernandez spent six seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets before moving to Sacramento. He also led the Canton Charge to consecutive appearances in the NBA G League Eastern Conference finals.
Fernandez has also been an assistant coach for both the Spanish and Nigerian national teams.
Now he takes over a Nets one that fired Vaughn just a year after giving him a contract extension. They went 11-17 under Ollie, focusing on their young players down the stretch after falling out of playoff contention.
“I am eager to get to work with this talented group of players and collectively drive our team forward,” Fernandez said. "Together, we will be fully committed to building something special for Nets fans and the borough to be proud of for years to come.”
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FILE - Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez looks on, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Denver. Fernandez was hired Monday, April 22, 2024 as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI officials settled lawsuits with the Justice Department on Friday, resolving claims that their privacy rights were violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump.
Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence agent who played a crucial role in the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016, settled his case for $1.2 million. Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who exchanged text messages with Strzok, also reached a separate settlement. Court records reviewed by The Associated Press show she is to be paid $800,000.
The two had sued the Justice Department over a 2017 episode in which officials shared copies with reporters of text messages that they had sent each other, including ones that described Trump as an “idiot” and a ”loathsome human” and that called the prospect of a Trump victory “terrifying.”
Strzok, who also investigated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, was fired after the text messages came to light. Page resigned. They later sued, alleging that department officials leaked the texts to promote a false narrative of anti-Trump bias within the FBI and to elevate the department's status with Trump after his relentless attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Justice Department inspector general reports examining the handling of the Clinton email and Trump-Russia investigations did not find evidence that partisan bias within the FBI influenced investigative decisions.
Strzok has also sued the department over his termination, alleging that the FBI caved to “unrelenting pressure” from Trump when it fired him and that his First Amendment rights were violated. Those constitutional claims remain pending.
“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” Strzok's lawyer, Aitan Goelman, said in a statement Friday announcing the settlement.
“As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees. We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public servants are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics,” he added.
A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment Friday.
“While I have been vindicated by this result, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees,” Page said in a statement.
Her attorneys said in a statement that “the evidence was overwhelming that the release of text messages to the press in December 2017 was for partisan political purposes and was against the law. ”
FILE - A sign outside the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building is seen in Washington, May 4, 2021. Two former FBI officials have settled lawsuits Friday, July 26, 2024, with the Justice Department to resolve claims that their privacy was violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
