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Memphis Grizzlies fire coach Taylor Jenkins despite 44-29 record

Nick Profile Picby: Nick Geddes03/28/25NickGeddesNews
Taylor Jenkins
Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies announced Friday they have fired head coach Taylor Jenkins after six seasons. Jenkins’ dismissal comes with nine games remaining in the NBA regular season and the Grizzlies (44-29) occupying the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

Jenkins was called into the office Friday morning and fired in-person, per Shams Charania of ESPN. The Grizzlies have yet to announce an interim head coach.

“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Grizzlies president and general manager of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said. “This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”

Grizzlies surprisingly fire Taylor Jenkins before NBA postseason

Jenkins, 40, took over as head coach ahead of the 2019-20 season. Previously an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks, Jenkins led the Grizzlies back to the playoffs in his second season at the helm. Memphis made two more trips to the postseason under Jenkins, going as far as the second round in 2021-22.

The Grizzlies have struggled since the All-Star break. Memphis went into the break 36-18, holding the No. 2 seed. The team has since gone 8-11 and fell 124-105 to the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night. Memphis was outscored 34-15 in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins had a .539 winning percentage in Memphis. He becomes one of the top head coaching candidates for this upcoming hiring cycle. Insiders around the league are stunned by Jenkins’ firing.

“Memphis changed out virtually all of Taylor Jenkins’ coaching staff after last season, which raised eyebrows across the league,” Jake Fischer of TheSteinLine tweeted. “But to make this decision on the Grizzlies’ bench right now… a truly surprising development.”

This is just the second mid-season firing in 2024-25. The Sacramento Kings previously parted ways with Mike Brown and replaced him with Doug Christie.