Latest news with #Grizzlies'
Miami Herald
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Grizzlies tab Tuomas Iisalo as head coach
The Memphis Grizzlies made Tuomas Iisalo's stay behind the bench a permanent one by naming him the Grizzlies' head coach on Friday. "I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward," general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. "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." The Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on March 28 despite the club's 44-29 record at the time and named Iisalo interim head coach. Under Iisalo, the Grizzlies went 4-5, finishing 48-34 in the regular season and making the playoffs via the play-in tournament before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Iisalo, 42, joined the Grizzlies as an assistant under Jenkins ahead of this past season. He was coming off a stint as the head coach of Paris Basketball in 2024, when he was named EuroCup Coach of the Year in his native Finland. The hire makes him the first NBA coach born in Finland. Iisalo, who had a 14-year professional playing career in Finland, has big shoes to fill. Jenkins, 40, is the winningest coach in Grizzlies' franchise history with a 250-214 record with three playoff appearances since being hired in June 2019. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Grizzlies make historic coaching decision hiring Tuomas Iisalo after Taylor Jenkins drama
The Grizzlies made history by naming Tuomas Iisalo their next head coach as he's now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history. The Grizzlies announced the move Friday afternoon. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. '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 Zachary Z. 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.' 3 Tuomas Iisalo took over as the Grizzlies' interim head coach just over a month ago before signing on officially for the role on Friday. NBAE via Getty Images Iisalo was originally hired by Memphis in the summer of 2024 as the team's lead assistant after a successful coaching career overseas. In his first season coaching Paris Basketball in 2023-24, Iisalo led the team to the 2023-24 EuroCup championship and won EuroCup Coach of the Year. As for his playing career prior to coaching, the Helsinki native played 14 years in Finland and won the 2009 Finnish Cup. He also played 57 games for the Finnish men's national team. Iisalo took over interim head coaching duties near the end of this season when Memphis shockingly fired Taylor Jenkins in late March. 3 Taylor Jenkins was shockingly fired near the end of the Grizzlies' season. AP Jenkins left the franchise as the winningest coach in its history and was the fifth-longest tenured coach in the NBA. Jenkins had led the Grizzlies to a 44-29 record and fifth place in the Western Conference before his firing. With Jenkins' firing coming so late in the season, Memphis played just nine regular season games with Iisalo leading the way. The Grizzlies went 4-5 in those games to finish the season at 48-34. They went 1-1 in the West's Play-in Tournament, losing to the Warriors before beating the Mavericks and securing the last spot in the conference. Memphis was then swept 4-0 by the top-seeded Thunder — losing Ja Morant to a hip injury for much of Game 3 after amassing a 29-point lead with him in that game and for all of Game 4. 3 Jaren Jackson Jr. (left) and Ja Morant (right) headline the Grizzlies' roster. NBAE via Getty Images Iisalo may have his work cut out for him in the loaded Western Conference, especially as there was some drama that seemed to be what forced Jenkins out just a month ago. The core of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane is all still under contract heading into next season and will look to improve under Iisalo's tutelage.
Reuters
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Grizzlies tab Tuomas Iisalo as head coach
May 2 - The Memphis Grizzlies made Tuomas Iisalo's stay behind the bench a permanent one by naming him the Grizzlies' head coach on Friday. "I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward," general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. "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." The Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on March 28 despite the club's 44-29 record at the time and named Iisalo interim head coach. Under Iisalo, the Grizzlies went 4-5, finishing 48-34 in the regular season and making the playoffs via the play-in tournament before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Iisalo, 42, joined the Grizzlies as an assistant under Jenkins ahead of this past season. He was coming off a stint as the head coach of Paris Basketball in 2024, when he was named EuroCup Coach of the Year in his native Finland. The hire makes him the first NBA coach born in Finland. Iisalo, who had a 14-year professional playing career in Finland, has big shoes to fill. Jenkins, 40, is the winningest coach in Grizzlies' franchise history with a 250-214 record with three playoff appearances since being hired in June 2019.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ja Morant ignores NBA's gun gesture warning — and it costs Grizzlies star $75,000
Ja Morant's finger-gun celebrations are going to cost him. The NBA announced Friday it's fining the Grizzlies star $75,000 for using the gun gesture on the court this week, even after the league issued him a warning. Advertisement The five-figure hit stemmed from Morant 'twice making an inappropriate gesture' in the Grizzlies' 110-108 victory over the Heat. Ja Morant did the gun celebration again. 'Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light,' the release read. Morant, who has a history with guns, first made the gesture toward the Warriors' bench Tuesday at the conclusion of Memphis' loss to Golden State. The league announced the following day that it was investigating the incident. Ja Morant appears to show off a gun gesture on Tuesday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Then on Thursday, Morant followed up with similar gun celebrations during the Grizzlies' win over the Heat, when he cashed a game-winning buzzer-beater. Advertisement 'I'm kind of used to it,' Morant said after Thursday's win about being a 'villain.' 'I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it's going to be out there. So, yeah. I don't care no more.' Ja Morant appears to gesture guns at the Warriors. X, NBCSWarriors Morant also mentioned Thursday he was 'well aware' of gestures making recent headlines. Morant's gun history goes back multiple seasons. He was suspended for eight games in 2023 for brandishing a gun on Instagram Live while at a strip club outside Denver. History repeated itself two months later in a separate video, and Morant received a 25-game suspension.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Memphis Grizzlies players' reactions to Taylor Jenkins' firing same as everyone else's: 'Is this real?'
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." Advertisement 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." Advertisement 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 Advertisement 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." Advertisement Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at or on X @wendellsjr_. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Ja Morant, Grizzlies players said after Taylor Jenkins firing
