Grizzlies Fire Head Coach Taylor Jenkins

The Grizzlies are 44-29 in Jenkins's sixth season on the job, and Memphis is No. 5 in the West as the season enters its closing stretch.

The Memphis Grizzlies have fired Taylor Jenkins. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies have fired head coach Taylor Jenkins, who was in his sixth season on the job, the franchise announced on Friday.

"I'm genuinely appreciative of Taylor's contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons," Memphis general manager 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."

Jenkins was in his sixth season on the job. Memphis is 44-29 and in fifth-place in the Western Conference. In his time in Memphis, Jenkins led the franchise to a 250-214 record with three playoff appearances (and soon to be four).

The Grizzlies are naming assistant coach Tuomas Lisalo as the interim coach for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Lisalo was the head coach of Paris Basketball last year, and led the national team to the EuroCup title and won EuroCup Coach of the Year.

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