The Memphis Grizzlies announced earlier today that they were promoting interim coach Tuomas Iisalo to become the team’s permanent head coach, making him the first Finland-born head coach in NBA history.
Iisalo was named the interim coach of the Grizzlies on March 28th. During the regular season and the playoffs, he led Memphis to a 5-10 record, which included a win against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Play-In Tournament to earn the team the eighth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.
“I feel like Tuomas is a good coach, said Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. “Going into my film sessions with him, or just talking about the game of basketball. Seeing and hearing that he sees the same thing that I see out there on the floor… It’s been very exciting.”
The Memphis Grizzlies are hiring interim Tuomas Iisalo as the franchise’s next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Iisalo replaced Taylor Jenkins as interim in late March and is now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/4xdAImXix3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 2, 2025
Iisalo has been coaching professional basketball since 2014 when he served as the head coach of Finland’s Tapiolan Honka before moving to Germany in 2016, where he coached for two different teams over seven years. In 2023, he was named the head coach of the LNB Élite’s Paris Basketball, eventually leading the team to a EuroCup championship in 2024.
On July 8th, 2024, Iisalo was named as the Grizzlies’ assistant coach responsible for the team’s offense. In March, he became Memphis’ interim coach after the team fired Taylor Jenkins.
“I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,” said Zachary Kleinman, the team’s president and the general manager of basketball operations. “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.”
