Just 40 years old, Taylor Jenkins is now in his sixth season as the Memphis Grizzlies head coach. He entered the coaching ranks before the age of 30 as he spent five seasons as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks and one with the Milwaukee Bucks prior to joining the Grizzlies. Even before that, He joined Memphis at the young age of 34.
On Wednesday, Memphis was able to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers by the score of 117-111. With the victory by the Grizzlies, Jenkins became the franchise leader in wins by a head coach.
Jenkins Sets Grizzlies Coaching Record At Just 40 Years Old
Jenkins Is Now The Franchise Leader In Career Wins
Last night’s victory pushed the Grizzlies record to 9-7 thus far on the season. It also gave Taylor Jenkins his 215th win as a head coach for Memphis which is the new all-time record for the Grizzlies.
Those 215 wins surpassed the previous record holder’s total of 214. Those 214 wins were accomplished by Lionel Hollins. Hollins was the head coach for the Grizzlies for much of the “Grit and Grind” era. He was the head coach from 2008-09 to 2012-13 (also was interim coach for the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1999-00).
Jenkins commented after the victory, and he clearly took great pride in becoming the Grizzlies new franchise leader in coaching wins.
“It’s an unbelievable honor to be among the company of so many great coaches that have come before me,” Jenkins said. “I always talk about the unbelievable responsibility to be the coach of this franchise. It’s a privilege and an honor.”
The Grizzlies inaugural season was in 1995-96, so they are currently taking part in their 30th season in the NBA. They played in Vancouver for the first six seasons before moving to Memphis beginning in the 2001-02 season.
Jenkins and Hollins are two of the three head coaches in Grizzlies history to reach triple-digits in wins for the team. The other is Dave Joerger, who resided over the team from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
Jenkins Has Career Winning Percentage Of .528 Thus Far
In the 2021-22 season, Jenkins helped guide the Grizzlies to a 56-26 record. That tied the franchise record for best in team history along with 2012-13. Memphis reached the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, losing to the Golden State Warriors. Under Jenkins, they also reached the 2021 and 2023 postseason losing in the opening round.
Last season was a disappointing one for Memphis as they finished with just a 27-55 record. It was the team’s worst record since they went 22-60 in the 2017-18 season. The Grizzlies dealt with a boatload of injuries in 2023-24 which was a major reason for their downfall. Star point guard Ja Morant began the season suspended, and then came back to play just nine game before missing the rest of the season with injury. Desmond Bane missed 40 games, Jaren Jackson Jr. missed 16, Marcus Smart missed 62, and Luke Kennard missed 43.
Despite finishing 28 games under .500, Taylor Jenkins’ career record is still a winning one. He currently sit with a record of 215-192, good for a .528 winning percentage. In the postseason, Jenkins has a record of 9-14.
