Taylor Jenkins
American basketball coach (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taylor Vetter Jenkins[1] (born September 12, 1984) is an American professional basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
(Dallas, Texas)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1984 Arlington, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Mark's School (Dallas, Texas) |
| College | Penn |
| Coaching career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 2008–2012 | Austin Toros (assistant) |
| 2012–2013 | Austin Toros |
| 2013–2018 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 2018–2019 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
| 2019–2025 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Career highlights | |
As assistant coach:
| |
Early life and education
Jenkins attended the St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. He was a two-time captain on their basketball team, where he played as an undersized 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) forward.[2] He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor's of Science in economics while concentrating in management and minoring in psychology.[2][3] He did not play college basketball.[2]
Coaching career
Jenkins interned with the San Antonio Spurs basketball operations department during the 2007–08 season.[4]
Jenkins worked as an assistant coach for the Spurs' NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros, from 2008 to 2012. The Toros won the NBA D-League championship in 2012.[4] Jenkins was appointed as head coach for the 2012–13 season and led the Toros to a 27–23 (.540) record and a first-round playoff victory over the Bakersfield Jam before falling to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the semifinals.
On July 11, 2013, Jenkins was hired as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks under head coach Mike Budenholzer.[5] The Hawks reached the playoffs four consecutive years including a trip to the NBA Eastern Conference finals in 2015. Jenkins helped develop four of the Hawks 2015 starting five into NBA All-Stars (four starters appeared on the 2015 NBA All-Star roster).[6] Jenkins later followed Budenholzer to be an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018–19 NBA season.[7][8] The Bucks finished with a league best 60 wins, and clinched the #1 spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time in 45 years.[9]
His name was brought into the spotlight when an ESPN clip showed Jenkins springing up from the bench to hold the players back during a small on-court scuffle. The video led to a profile of him in The Athletic.[10]
Jenkins also served as an assistant coach for the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team and NBA World Team (Rising Stars) in 2015.[6] Also, in August 2016, Jenkins participated in the Americas Team Camp presented by Nike in Mexico City. The camp consisted of four days of basketball drills and competition conducted by NBA players and coaches.[11]
Memphis Grizzlies
On June 11, 2019, the Memphis Grizzlies hired Jenkins as their new head coach.[12] The Memphis Commercial Appeal called the hire a "defining moment for owner Robert Pera," as well as the front office.[13]
Jenkins was named the Western Conference's Coach of the Month in both January 2020 and December 2021.[14][15] In 2022, the Grizzlies won their division for the first time in franchise history.
On June 13, 2022, the Grizzlies signed Jenkins to a multi-year contract extension.[16]
On March 28, 2025, the Grizzlies fired Jenkins after six seasons with the team, with only nine games remaining in the 2024–25 regular season and the Grizzlies having all but secured entry into the 2025 NBA playoffs by this time with a 44–29 record at the time.[17]
Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 2019–20 | 73 | 34 | 39 | .466 | 3rd in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Memphis | 2020–21 | 72 | 38 | 34 | .528 | 2nd in Southwest | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round |
| Memphis | 2021–22 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1st in Southwest | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Memphis | 2022–23 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 1st in Southwest | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| Memphis | 2023–24 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 4th in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Memphis | 2024–25 | 73 | 44 | 29 | .603 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 464 | 250 | 214 | .539 | 23 | 9 | 14 | .391 | |||