 For the 2008–09 NBA season he joined several other fellow Spaniards in the league that included Pau and Marc Gasol, Jose Calderón, and Trail Blazers teammate Sergio Rodríguez.He entered the NBA following his participation with the Spain national team at the 2008 Olympic basketball tournament in Beijing, China.Fernández played in his first regular-season NBA game on October 28, 2008, coming off the bench to score 16 points in a 96–76 Portland loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.