MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While growing up in Finland, Tuomas Iisalo found a few ways to expand his knowledge of the English language. One of them doubled as the source that taught him the language of basketball.
“I learned English in a lot of Slam Magazines,” he said.
Iisalo and his younger brother, Joonas, who became an assistant to Tuomas on several stops, were obsessed with the game from a young age. They spent hours pouring through the pages of every Slam they could find. They learned the names of their favorite players, the color schemes associated with each team and the slang that was an essential part of NBA fandom.
As his love for the game grew, he started watching old VHS tapes of ‘90s NBA games. He still remembers devouring the tape of Michael Jordan’s 55-point game against the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.
“We were basketball freaks,” Iisalo said.
Read more on the Grizzlies’ interim head coach below.
Who is the Grizzlies’ interim head coach trying to save their season? Meet Tuomas Iisalo
