The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets haven’t carried much of a heated rivalry lately — mostly because success hasn’t often coincided for both teams.
Yet Nets coach Jordi Fernández, weeks after a new Nets star made several eyebrow-raising podcast comments, made it clear at Brooklyn’s media day that he views their downtown neighbors as the enemy.
“I mean, they are the enemy, and I love Mike Brown, so I know he’s gonna try to beat us the same way we’re gonna try to beat them,” Fernández said Tuesday on the YES Network. It comes as Kawhi Leonard’s bombshell allegations could spell trouble for a certain Knicks star.
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“They have their own reality the same way we have ours, and we have to focus on ourselves. At the same time just saying that these rivalries in the same city, they’re awesome because it just means that a lot of people cares about basketball. So the more we can talk basketball, the better.”
Fernández’s relationship with the Knicks’ new head coach, Mike Brown, adds extra spice to his comments — the two coached together with the Cavaliers and Kings, and Fernández was Brown’s associate head coach in Sacramento before taking over Brooklyn.
Last season’s head-to-head showed quite a contrast. The Knicks swept the Nets 4–0 in 2024–25. Brooklyn, meanwhile, endured a brutal season, finishing 26–56 and missing the playoffs.
The Knicks, by comparison, enjoyed a breakout year. Under Tom Thibodeau, they went 51–31, secured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and rode a deep playoff run all the way to the Conference Finals — their deepest postseason push in 25 years.
After firing Thibodeau, the Knicks retained core contributors like Mikal Bridges, while also adding veterans Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to bolster bench depth.
The Nets have been in rebuilding mode, scrambling through injuries and roster turnover, and a declared “enemy” in their own city offers a rallying cry.
They acquired Michael Porter Jr. from Denver, traded for Terance Mann in a multi-team deal, and waived longtime guard Keon Johnson.
The Nets also signed several rookies (Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf) to rookie-scale contracts, signaling a shift toward development after refusing to trade any of their record five first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
On the Knicks’ side, the pressure is different. Their performance last season raised expectations. They must now prove it was no fluke, defend home court against Brooklyn on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden, and show that their resurgence is sustainable.
Already, the Knicks–Nets rivalry carries historical weight: New York leads the all-time regular season series (111–107) and the two franchises have met in past playoffs.