MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Grizzlies have found their official replacement for Taylor Jenkins, and they didn’t have to look very far.
The organization announced Friday that Interim Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo would be promoted to the position permanently.Â
“I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,” said Grizzlies President and General Manager of Basketball Operations Zach Kleiman. “Tuomas’ teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.”
Iisalo was appointed to the interim position in late March, after previous head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired with only nine games left to play in the regular season. He had been the lead assistant coach under Jenkins since July 2024.
Before coming to Memphis, Iisalo won the 2023-2024 EuroCup Championship and the EuroCup Coach of the Year award in his first season as head coach of Paris Basketball. Iisalo led the team to a 20-1 record in the club’s second season with the top offense in competition history.
He was also named the 2024 LNB Pro A Coach of the Year after leading Paris to the French Leaders Cup title and French LNB Pro A Finals. He was also selected as head coach of Team World in the LNB All-Star Game. Paris’ 25-game winning streak across the competitions stands as the longest ever in the French league.
The Grizzlies are looking to turn around a disappointing finish to the 2024-’25 season, having been the 2-seed in the Western Conference at the February All-Star Break, and collapsing into the Play-In Tournament by the end of the regular season. The Grizz managed to squeak into the Playoffs at the 8-seed to face the top team in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, which resulted in a 4-0 sweep following a demoralizing injury to superstar point guard Ja Morant and blown 29-point lead in Game 3.
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories: