Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins was 250-214 during his time with the team.
The Memphis Grizzlies have parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins, the team announced Friday.
The move is a surprise as the Grizzlies (44-29) are No. 5 in the Western Conference and are assured of their fourth winning season with Jenkins at the helm.
Memphis has not named Jenkins’ successor, but the Grizzlies assistant coaching staff includes Anthony Carter, Erik Schmidt, Noah LaRoche, Tuomas Iisalo, Pat St. Andrews, Jason March, Joe Boylan and Patrick Mutombo.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Grizzlies president and GM of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “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.”
The @memgrizz today announced they have parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins. pic.twitter.com/92PAK2NssN
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 28, 2025
Jenkins became the team’s winningest coach in November, but the team has moved on from him as Memphis is struggling down the stretch and at risk of losing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
He was let go with the team on the verge of playing three home games in a four-day span starting Saturday — first the Lakers, then Boston on Monday, then Golden State on Tuesday.
That starts a stretch where eight of Memphis’ final nine opponents are either playoff clubs or contending for a play-in spot. But it’s still possible, at least mathematically, that Memphis could get back to No. 2 in the West, and it’s highly unlikely that the Grizzlies will fall into the SoFi Play-In Tournament range.
Jenkins was the fifth longest-tenured coach with his current club in the league, behind only San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Denver’s Michael Malone — all of them having won NBA titles.
Results against the league’s best teams so far this season weren’t a good sign for Jenkins.
The Grizzlies were 0-4 against Oklahoma City, losing those games by 24, 13, 17 and 21 points. They’re 3-6 so far this season against Houston, Denver and the Lakers, the next three teams ahead of them in the West.
That has been a trend all season for Memphis: it was good against the sub-.500 teams, but struggled mightily against the winning clubs.
Against the 13 other teams that currently are over .500, the Grizzlies are 11-20 this season and have been outscored by 77 points. Against the 16 clubs at .500 or worse, the Grizzlies are 33-9, outscoring those opponents by 462 points.
Jenkins passed Lionel Hollins for most wins in franchise history and has also coached the most games in team history, with the franchise launching in 1995. He was 250-214 in six seasons with Memphis and guided them to the playoffs in 2021, ’22 and ’23 and was on pace to do so again this season.
In the 2021-22 season, the team won 56 games, the Grizzlies’ most in a season under Jenkins. The Grizzlies captured the Southwest Division and were a No. 2 seed in the West. They ousted the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round but lost to Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals with star Ja Morant dealing with an injury.
Jenkins replaced J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired after failing to make the playoffs in the 2018-19 season. Jenkins served as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, both working for coach Mike Budenholzer. He also served a stint in the San Antonio Spurs organization, eventually becoming coach of the Spurs G League team in Austin.
Jenkins’ arrival in Memphis coincided with the Grizzlies drafting Morant with the No. 2 overall pick in 2019. After the playoff runs from 2021-23, the Grizzlies spent last season dealing with injuries to major players.
Morant played only nine games because of a 25-game league suspension and a right shoulder injury that ended his season. Fellow guard Desmond Bane missed considerable time with a left ankle sprain, and frontline reserve Brandon Clarke managed only six games because of a left Achilles tendon tear.
That left Jenkins to manage the season with forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and a bunch of makeshift lineups, eventually finishing 27-55.
This season, Jenkins turned over his coaching staff and brought in a new offense based on spacing. Despite being plagued with turnovers, Memphis spent a large part of the season second in the West. Other teams surged as the Grizzlies’ rough patch dropped them to fifth place.
Again, Jenkins spent another season piecing together lineups around Morant limited to 43 games with various illnesses, soreness, contusions and sprains. Morant missed Thursday night’s game, his sixth straight, with a strained hamstring.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
