Memphis Grizzlies players' reactions to Taylor Jenkins' firing same as everyone else's: 'Is this real?'

Yahoo

27-04-2025

Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson was brushing his teeth Friday morning when the news of Taylor Jenkins' firing reached him.
"All of my friends called me and were like, 'Is this real?' " Jackson said Saturday before the Grizzlies' 134-127 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. "I was like, 'They probably saw (social media troll account) NBA Centel or something.' And then I went to Twitter, and his face was everywhere."
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Jackson's reaction matched that of his teammates' — shock, especially with less than a month remaining before the start of the NBA playoffs. The news was especially moving for the Grizzlies' big three, who had spent most, if not all, of their NBA careers under Jenkins, the franchise's all-time winningest coach.
"It's tough for me, I've had Coach Taylor since I got here," Ja Morant said after the game. "Everything I've done in a Grizzlies jersey has been under him. It's my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I've been hooping. It was a lot to process. We had to quickly turn the page to the Lakers, and that's just the business part of the NBA."
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the only player on the Grizzlies' roster whose tenure predates Jenkins' 2019 hire. Nevertheless, the news hit him just as hard as it hit Morant, who entered with Jenkins as a rookie, the No. 2 pick in NBA draft.
"That's my dog. That will forever be my dog," Jaren Jackson Jr. said. "It was surprising. It would have been surprising at any point. He had a great impact while he was here. He's gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches in his journey elsewhere and deservedly so."
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GG Jackson knows better than most the impact of shocking news. For him, it came on March 17, when he was assigned to the G League Memphis Hustle. The brutality of the NBA's business dealings is something Jackson (who was reassigned to the Grizzlies on Saturday) has learned, and something his teammates are grappling with in the wake of Jenkins' firing and the promotion of Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach.
"How it happened wasn't really surprising," GG Jackson said. "I got abruptly assigned to the G League without any notice or anything, so I feel the business aspect of it. That's why we get paid to play basketball."
Inside Jenkins' departure What Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman said about decision to fire Taylor Jenkins
Iisalo's first outing What Lakers coach JJ Redick saw during Tuomas Iisalo's first game as Grizzlies interim coach
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What happens on the floor is all the Grizzlies have time to focus on with the playoffs looming, and critical home games against the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors coming before then. The team knows they need to be better and that their play across an 8-12 skid since the All-Star break likely played a role in Jenkins' dismissal.
"It's on us for sure," Desmond Bane said. "We're the five players out there, Coach didn't shoot one shot. A lot of times, coaches end up taking the fall, but ultimately it's the players."
The players saw a different, more vocal side of Iisalo on Saturday. They know there may be some tactical changes as well. At the end of the day, though, the goal is the same — Jenkins or no Jenkins.
"I think we all were (shocked)," Bane said. "We gotta win basketball games at the end of the day."
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Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [e-mail] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Ja Morant, Grizzlies players said after Taylor Jenkins firing