Tuomas Iisalo Biography: Age, Real Name, Career, Education, Parents, Siblings, Height, Wife, Children, Nationality

Tuomas Iisalo was born on July 29, 1982, in Helsinki, Finland. He is a professional basketball coach and a former player. As of 2025, he is the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, a team in the NBA. Before that, Tuomas Iisalo worked as an assistant coach for the Grizzlies under Taylor Jenkins and also served as their interim head coach.

Tuomas Iisalo started playing basketball as a child in Loviisa for a local club called Hokki Basket. He became a professional player in 2000, playing as a shooting guard. He played for several Finnish teams including Kouvot, Espoon Honka, and Torpan Pojat. In 2009, Tuomas Iisalo won the Finnish Cup with Kouvot. He also played 58 games for the Finland national team. 

Tuomas Iisalo retired from playing in 2014.

Soon after retiring, Tuomas Iisalo began coaching. His first job was as head coach for Tapiolan Honka, and he also helped coach Finland’s under-15 national team. He later coached in Germany for Crailsheim Merlins and Telekom Baskets Bonn, in France for Paris Basketball, and then moved to the NBA. Along the way, Tuomas Iisalo won many awards including EuroCup Coach of the Year (2024), Champions League Coach of the Year (2023), and Finnish Coach of the Year (2024). Tuomas Iisalo also won the EuroCup, Champions League, and French League Cup as a coach.

Tuomas Iisalo is 1.95 meters tall (about 6 feet 5 inches). Outside of basketball, he has a wife and three children. His family has a strong background in journalism and public service. Tuomas Iisalo father worked as a foreign correspondent in East Berlin, his brother Joonas is also a basketball coach, and his sister Meri is a prize-winning author. Their grandfather Aulis Iisalo was a soldier in the Winter and Continuation Wars and was nominated for the Mannerheim Cross, one of Finland’s highest military honors.

Parents

Tuomas Iisalo father worked as a foreign news reporter in East Berlin during the 1980s. There is no public information available about his mother.

Siblings

Tuomas Iisalo has two siblings. His younger brother, Joonas Iisalo, is also a professional basketball coach. His older sister, Meri Valkama, is a journalist and author. Meri won the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2021 for her first novel “Sinun, Margot”, which tells a story set in East Berlin.

Height

Tuomas Iisalo is 195 cm tall, which is about 6 feet 5 inches.

Wife

Tuomas Iisalo is married, but his wife’s name is not publicly known.

Children

Tuomas Iisalo and his wife have three children together.

Nationality

Tuomas Iisalo is Finnish. He was born in Helsinki, Finland.

Ethnicity

Tuomas Iisalo is of Finnish ethnicity.

Awards and Achievements:

•As a Player

> Finnish Cup Winner (2009)

•As a Coach

> EuroCup Champion (2024)

> Basketball Champions League Champion (2023)

> French League Cup Winner (2024)

> Coach of the Year in Finland (2024)

> EuroCup Coach of the Year (2024)

> Champions League Coach of the Year (2023)

> Bundesliga Coach of the Year (2022, 2023)

> LNB Pro A Coach of the Year (2024)

FAQs 

1. What is Tuomas Iisalo real name?

- His full name is Tuomas Iisalo.

2. How old is Tuomas Iisalo?

- Tuomas Iisalo is 42 years old as of 2025. He was born on July 29, 1982.

3. What is Tuomas Iisalo nationality?

- Tuomas Iisalo is Finnish and was born in Helsinki, Finland.

4. What is Tuomas Iisalo career background?

- Tuomas Iisalo is a former professional basketball player and now works as a basketball coach. He became the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA in 2025.

5. What teams has Tuomas Iisalo coached?

- Tuomas Iisalo has coached teams like Tapiolan Honka, Crailsheim Merlins, Telekom Baskets Bonn, Paris Basketball, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

6. What is known about Tuomas Iisalo education?

- Details about Tuomas Iisalo formal education are not publicly available.

7. Who are Tuomas Iisalo parents?

- Tuomas Iisalo father was a foreign correspondent in East Berlin during the 1980s. Information about his mother is not public.

8. Does Tuomas Iisalo have siblings?

- Yes. Tuomas Iisalo brother Joonas Iisalo is also a basketball coach, and his sister Meri Valkama is a journalist and award-winning author.

9. Is Tuomas Iisalo married and does he have children?

- Yes, Tuomas Iisalo is married and has three children.

10. How tall is Tuomas Iisalo?

- Tuomas Iisalo is 195 cm tall, which is about 6 feet 5 inches.