Taylor Jenkins fired as Grizzlies coach after six seasons - ESPN

The Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, their winningest coach, on Friday with the team struggling down the stretch and at risk of losing home-court advantage in the postseason.

Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Jenkins was called into the Grizzlies' office Friday morning and told he was being fired. The team believed that Jenkins had lost the locker room over the course of the season and that making a change now might mitigate how the Grizzlies finish the season.

«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. «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.»

Lead assistant Tuomas Iisalo will serve as the interim head coach, sources told Charania. Iisalo is a former Finnish professional player and coach who was the head coach of Paris Basketball in 2023-24, winning the EuroCup and being named coach of the year.

The Grizzlies almost completely overhauled their coaching staff last offseason, leaving just Jenkins, Patrick St. Andrews and Anthony Carter from 2023-24. In bringing in six new assistants, the Grizzlies changed their style of play under Iisalo and Noah LaRoche to emphasize fast pace and spacing principles derived from other sports such as soccer and hockey. Memphis' new motion offense virtually eliminated traditional NBA mainstays such as pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs.

Sources told Charania that St. Andrews and LaRoche were also fired Friday.

Jenkins, 40, had served as Grizzlies coach since 2019-20 — the same season Ja Morant was named Rookie of