Tuomas Iisalo has been officially named the new head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. He took over as interim coach following Taylor Jenkins’ departure with nine games remaining in the regular season and guided the team to the playoffs, although they were eliminated by the Thunder in a sweep. Grizzlies’ general manager Zach Kleiman removed the interim tag from Iisalo on May 2.
Having achieved significant success as a coach in Europe, Iisalo joined the Grizzlies as the lead assistant prior to the 2024-25 season. He made a notable impact on the team’s offense, both in his assistant role and as interim coach, earning praise from players at the season’s end.
Grizzlies’ star Ja Morant commended Iisalo for holding everyone accountable while instilling confidence in the team. With a full offseason ahead, Iisalo will have the opportunity to work with the Grizzlies to aim for a more successful playoff run following a disappointing season.
Kleiman expressed his confidence in Iisalo’s leadership, citing his track record of coaching disciplined and successful teams. Iisalo, the first Finnish-born NBA coach, began his coaching journey in Finland before moving to Germany and later France, where he achieved notable milestones.
Despite limited time to implement major changes, Iisalo made a positive impact during his tenure as interim coach, particularly in developing rookie center Zach Edey and garnering support from key players like Morant. Moving forward, the partnership between Morant and Iisalo holds promise for further success, building on the coach’s history of working effectively with talented point guards.
For inquiries, contact sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan. This article was originally published on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies: Tuomas Iisalo named coach after interim stint.
