Born in Los Angeles, Fizdale attended
Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where he played as a
point guard for the school's basketball team. He subsequently attended college at the
University of San Diego, where he graduated with a
B.A. in communications and a minor in
sociology. During his senior year, he was also named a member of the All-
WCC Team. After a couple years removed from graduating, Fizdale would begin his coaching career by first being an assistant coach for his alma mater from 1998 until 2002 before joining
Fresno State University as an assistant coach there for a couple of seasons afterward. Between 2003 and 2016, Fizdale was an
assistant coach for the
Golden State Warriors,
Atlanta Hawks, and
Miami Heat. During his tenure with the Heat, Fizdale coached "Team Shaq", a squad selected by
Shaquille O'Neal, at the
2013 Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend. His team was defeated 163–135, by
Charles Barkley's "Team Chuck", coached by then
San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach
Mike Budenholzer. After the reshuffle of the Heat's coaching staff, Fizdale became an associate head coach after
Ron Rothstein decided to retire from his coaching career and
Bob McAdoo was assigned to the scouting staff. On May 29, 2016, Fizdale was named as the head coach of the
Memphis Grizzlies. He led the Grizzlies to a 43–39 record in the
2016–17 season, reaching the Western Conference playoffs. After a 7–12 start to the
2017–18 season, including eight consecutive losses, and a publicized fourth-quarter benching of
Marc Gasol, Fizdale was fired from the team on November 27, 2017. On May 7, 2018, Fizdale was named as the head coach of the
New York Knicks signing a four-year deal with the organization. On December 6, 2019, he was fired by the Knicks after a 4–18 start to their season. On September 15, 2021, Fizdale was hired by the
Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach. On June 29, 2022, Fizdale was hired as the associate general manager for the
Utah Jazz. On June 21, 2023, Fizdale was hired by the
Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach. Fizdale would later get removed from the team's coaching staff on May 12, 2024, alongside the rest of
Frank Vogel's coaching staff following their hiring of new head coach
Mike Budenholzer. However, after an attempt to promote him into a front office position later in the month, as well as receive interest in joining the
Chicago Bulls, Fizdale was reported to return to his role as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns on May 29. His return to the Suns would be made official on August 6. On August 12, 2025, months after head coach
Mike Budenholzer was fired and
Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach
Jordan Ott was hired over Fizdale to the team's newest head coach due to a stated desire for a change in direction regarding head coaching statuses, it was confirmed that Fizdale would not return to the Phoenix Suns for a third season under a third straight coaching change. ==Head coaching record==