Grizzlies shockingly fire head coach Taylor Jenkins
The Memphis Grizzlies surprisingly fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday.
The move was reportedly made after it was believed that Jenkins had lost the locker room over this season. The change was made to help them turn the tide toward a strong playoff push.
The Grizzlies struggled since the All-Star break with Jenkins at the helm, holding an 8-11 record and four out of the last five games without star point guard Ja Morant out of the lineup due to a strained hamstring.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement via ESPN. “This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
Jenkins had been with the team since the 2019-20 season, during which the franchise made progress over his tenure, reaching the playoffs three times in his first five campaigns.
However, the Grizzlies struggled to make noise in the playoffs, falling to two first-round exits and not advancing further than the Western Conference semifinals.
Want $250 to bet on NBA futures?
Jenkins had surpassed Lionel Hollins to become the winningest coach in franchise history, and he finished his tenure with a 250-214 record.
Memphis is now turning to Tuomas Iisalo as the interim head coach. He was previously the head coach of Paris Basketball in 2023-24, when he guided them to winning the EuroCup and was named coach of the year.
