The Memphis Grizzlies have hired Tuomas Isalo as head coach, the team announced Friday. Isaro was named the team’s interim head coach at the end of March. The Grizzlies made the surprising decision to fire Taylor Jenkins a few weeks before the playoffs. Iisalo went 4-5 as head coach in nine regular season games, with Memphis earning the eighth seed in the playoff field through the play-in tournament. The Grizzlies were swept in the first round of the playoffs by top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 42-year-old Isaro was hired as an assistant for the Grizzlies earlier this season, and was his first coaching gig in the NBA. Finland-born Isalo previously coached in Europe and played basketball for a long time in Finland.
The Grizzlies finished 48-34 in the regular season, but a sweep at the hands of lightning showed how far they are from serious conflict. As our Sam Quinn wrote last week. Star guard Ja Morant was injured against OKC in Game 3 and said after the sweep He “understands” lightning.
iisalo is the latest interim coach to get a full-time gig. Recently King Removed provisional tag from Doug Christie And spurt Officially Mitch Johnson has been appointed as Greg Popovich’s successor Friday after Johnson served as interim coach for San Antonio for most of the 2024-25 season.
