Born in Luanda, Angola, Fernando began playing basketball in his home country before moving to the United States for high school after standout performances at youth world championships. 

He continued his career at the University of Maryland, where two successful seasons brought him onto NBA scouts' radars. Fernando was selected 34th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and was subsequently traded to the Atlanta Hawks. 

The experienced big man — the first Angolan ever drafted into the NBA — later had stints with the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, and various G-League teams. After his NBA years, Fernando joined Real Madrid midway through the 2024–2025 season, winning the Spanish League (ACB) title, and most recently played for Partizan last season.

A continental champion with Angola at both the AfroBasket and the U18 African Championship, Bruno Fernando averaged 8.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.6 blocks in the EuroLeague last season.