Basketball fans were completely caught off guard when they learned that the Memphis Grizzlies decided to part ways with their head coach, Taylor Jenkins. They will begin finalizing a plan for the rest of the season without him leading the team.
While there are several reasons that the Grizzlies underperformed this season, Jenkins was used as the scapegoat to help the franchise turn a new page and hopefully gain some momentum newfound momentum. However, fans still appear to be stunned and are yet to fully process this dramatic change in coaching management at this point in the season.
Jenkins’ Firing Shocks the NBA World Before Playoffs
NBA Insider Shams Charania revealed the story to the public. He wrote an X post revealing that the Grizzlies had fired Jenkins without any prior notice. Charania termed this termination as a stunning removal.
Taylor Jenkins was called into the Grizzlies office this morning and was fired in person, sources tell ESPN. Stunning dismissal. Jenkins now becomes one of the top head coaching candidates for the upcoming cycle. He had a .539 winning percentage as Grizzlies coach. https://t.co/fKRG7MNY58
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 28, 2025
After all, Jenkins and the Grizzlies had done fairly well this season in terms of winning percentage and were expected to make it to the playoffs comfortably.
He went 250-214 as the coach, boasting the most franchise wins in Grizzlies history. It certainly looks like the front office decided that his presence in the history books wasn’t enough to keep him on the job.
The Grizzlies’ immediate future does not look too bright. Ja Morant has been dealing with injuries and has been sidelined for several stretches of the season. The coach managed to help the team stay afloat in a very competitive Western Conference.
In fact, being terminated from employment without any real reason ended up confusing fans. Some even wondered if there was a conspiracy or scandal in the background that was not being mentioned, “There’s gotta be a scandal we don’t know about yet because this makes no sense.”
There’s gotta be a scandal we don’t know about yet because this makes no sense
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 28, 2025
Although it is possible that upper management had been looking to move on from Jenkins for a while, the Grizzlies had a record of eight wins and 12 losses in their last 20 games and were clearly not finishing the season strong. As a result, the franchise made a risky last-minute move and removed Jenkins from his position.
Right before playoffs is crazy work
— LakeShowGo (@LakeShowGo) March 28, 2025
Fans truly appeared to be on both sides when Jenkins’ caliber and impact as a coach were discussed. Some believed that his impressive record with the Grizzlies spoke for itself and will ensure that he is a top candidate for a coaching position this offseason.
Stunning yet needed
Not sure if he could get over the hump of winning high stakes games
Abysmal record this season against good teams
— EdeyMuse (@EdeyMuse) March 28, 2025
In any case, the Grizzlies do not appear to have an immediate plan for a suitable replacement. Reports reveal that they fired Jenkins and will now make Tuomas Iisalo the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Since Iisalo was the assistant coach and has extensive experience coaching international teams, he might be offered the job permanently if the Grizzlies get better after removing their head coach.