If the trade of Doncic-Davis wasn’t enough to send shock waves within the NBA community, the second came quickly in the same quarter. No one expected Taylor Jenkins to be fired right before the regular season wrapped up. Players, analysts, and fans, all stunned as the Press Release went on air. The justification? No one knows. Jenkins’ message, we will know. Amidst all the shock that the NBA world is feeling right now, the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane has come out to reveal the final conversation he had with his coach following his termination.
It seems Desmond was one of the first ones to learn about Jenkins’ termination. Friday morning. The phone rang. Taylor Jenkins was on the other line. Curious. And Desmond says a “deep conversation” took place between them on the phone that morning. Jenkins let Bane know that his time as the Grizzlies’ head coach was up.
And following tonight’s game, Desmond Bane told the media how he felt about Jenkins’ departure. Remembering the call, he let the emotions flow. “It’s on us for sure. We’re the 5 players out there. Coach didn’t shoot one shot all season, he didn’t guard anybody. He gave us a great game plan and we didn’t execute to the level that we needed to. A lot of times, coaches and other people end up taking the fall, but ultimately, it’s on the players,” Bane revealed who was really at fault for this whole ordeal.
Desmond Bane on feeling responsibility for Taylor Jenkins departure
“It’s on us for sure. … Coach didn’t shoot one shot all season, he didn’t guard anybody.”
Said Jenkins called him and they had a long conversation after he was fired. pic.twitter.com/h6Gm78ri2e
— Avery Braxton (@Brax_Avery) March 30, 2025
The Memphis Grizzlies are 5th in the Western Conference right now. They’re actually outdoing the expectations a lot of us had of them. After all, their best player, Ja Morant, has missed nearly a third of this season. And other players have also caught the injury bug. In light of this, Taylor Jenkins getting fired was the last thing Desmond Bane expected.
It is for another day for Bane to reveal what went over the call. But surely an emotional one. 6 years it became home, and then an exit without asking; the hurt was deep. Now, one after another, the locker room reveals more.
After Desmond Bane, other key Grizzlies players speak up about Taylor Jenkins’ firing
One of the players who seemed most hurt by this shock move by the Grizzlies front office was Jaren Jackson Jr. Speaking to the media before the Lakers game, he revealed that he was still sleeping before getting the news. But he expressed the love he had for the coach who had been there for the whole time he was at the Grizzlies. “That will forever be my dawg. He made a great impact while he was here, obviously. [Jenkins is] gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches,” he said about Jenkins’ future after the Grizzlies. Jenkins left with a lot to take, bags full as emotions get heavy.
In a similar vein, Scotty Pippen Jr, son of Chicago Bulls legend Scotty Pippen, revealed he was also blindsided by his former coach’s firing. But he also gave Jenkins credit for helping him fulfill his dreams. “Didn’t really see it coming…He was the first coach [who] made my NBA dreams come true. Gave me life at this level,” said Scotty.
Jan 25, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins reacts after a foul during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
GG Jackson, on the other hand, thought that people fell for satire when his friends bombarded him with calls asking him to confirm the news. “At first I was like, ‘They probably saw NBA Centel or something. I thought it was a joke. Then I went to Twitter and his face was everywhere.” Jackson then said that he started thinking about the aftermath of this decision. “I tried to assess how this would affect the entire team. Far as like chemistry and morale and things like that.”
The sentiment in the Grizzlies locker room seems to be a mix of shock and collective responsibility. The players seem to know that they had a hand in their coach’s termination. Will this help the side stay motivated, or has GM Zach Kleiman taken a gamble before the playoffs? Only time will tell.
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