Sacramento assistant Jordi Fernandez is taking over for Nick Nurse as coach of the Canadian men’s basketball team that will compete at this summer’s World Cup, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday.
Fernandez is also expected to remain in place should Canada qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the hiring had not been revealed publicly.
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ESPN first reported Fernandez’s hiring, which was subsequently confirmed by The Toronto Star and Sportsnet.
Nurse had a contract to coach the Canadian team through the 2024 Olympics. He was fired as coach of the Toronto Raptors earlier this year and is now coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Canada — which could have Jamal Murray of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder headlining its roster this summer — is scheduled to play at least five exhibition games before the World Cup starts on Aug. 25.
The Canadians are in Group H of the World Cup, and will meet France, Latvia and Lebanon at Jakarta, Indonesia in the opening stage of the tournament.
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