Grizzlies name Iisalo as coach after interim stint
The Memphis Grizzlies have hired Tuomas Iisalo as the franchise’s next head coach, the team announced 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.”
Iisalo replaced Taylor Jenkins as the team’s interim coach in late March. He helped Memphis reach the playoffs through the play-in tournament before it was swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Iisalo had been forced into a tough situation, facing a hard schedule late in the season with little time to make changes. The team had only a few practices under his direction.
“We had 15 games and two practices, and I tried to do my best in those,” Iisalo said after the team’s elimination.
Later, regarding the frantic pace of the season, he added: “That’s a ratio that makes it very difficult. We were in a situation that there were no drastic changes that we needed to make or could be made in that situation.”
After this season ended, the short-term leadership of Iisalo seemed to gain a vote of confidence from several Grizzlies, including star Ja Morant.
“I feel like Tuomas is a good coach,” Morant said in the team’s exit interviews. “For me, going into my film sessions with him and just talking about the game of basketball, seeing and hearing that he sees the same thing I see out there on the floor.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been surprising, but it’s been very exciting.”
Following the Grizzlies’ 48-34 regular-season finish, Iisalo will look to build around a core of Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. as he takes control of a team that has made the playoffs four of the past five years.
Following a 14-year professional career as a player in Finland, Iisalo turned to coaching. He won the EuroCup and EuroCup Coach of the Year honors in 2024 while leading Paris Basketball before joining the Memphis staff.
In his postseason exit interview, Iisalo was discussing how he would run the team with the city and organization in mind.
“Every club and every city has their own culture,” Iisalo said. “I think it is very important that you are true to the roots of that city. This city is a hardworking city. The club has roots in that. It has to be based on giving everything you have. I’ve always believed in that.”
Iisalo is now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
