The Memphis Grizzlies liked what they saw from Tuomas Iisalo in a limited sample. The team announced Iisalo as its next head coach Friday after he served in the role on an interim basis this season after Taylor Jenkins was fired.
In a statement, team president and general manager Zachary Kleiman praised Iisalo’s former teams as “disciplined and tenacious” and said he expects to see those same traits carry over to Memphis.
“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.”
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The move makes Iisalo the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history.
While Iisalo has a history of success as a coach, most of that experience came overseas. After playing professionally in Finland, Iisalo transitioned to coaching. He coached multiple teams in Finland, Germany and France between 2014-24.
While coaching in Germany, Iisalo won the Bundesliga coach of the year award in two straight seasons and was named the Champions League coach of the year in 2023. Iisalo also won the EuroCup coach of the year award in 2024 after winning the 2023–24 EuroCup title with Paris Basketball.
Months after that victory, Iisalo joined the Grizzlies as an assistant head coach. When the team surprisingly fired Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season, Iisalo was elevated into the head-coaching role on an interim basis. The Grizzlies went 4-5 down the stretch and finished as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
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The team then made its way out of the play-in tournament. After a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks to secure a spot in the playoffs. Their postseason experience ended quickly, as the team was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games.
With the move, Iisalo takes over a team in need of changes. During an end-of-season news conference, Kleiman stressed things needed to be better in Memphis, saying the team was not good enough during the 2024-25 season.
“I don’t think we can look back at this series and this season and say, ‘Oh, we’re close,’” Kleiman said after the team was swept by the Thunder. “No, we’re not.”
Kleiman believes Iisalo can get the team closer to its ultimate goal. While he didn’t have long to make an impact on the Grizzlies this season, his performance was enough to convince the franchise Iisalo is the right person to lead it back to prominence.
