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The Grizzlies played around .500 basketball early into the regular season with a 6–7 start, but then struggled again posting a 13-game losing streak between December and January, and held a 13–36 record at the All-Star break.^[13] At mid-season, Thorpe was traded back to his former team, theSacramento Kings in exchange forMichael Smith andBobby Hurley,^[14]^[15]^[16] whileAnthony Peeler was dealt to theMinnesota Timberwolves in exchange forDoug West.^[17]^[18]^[19] The Grizzlies finally escaped last place by finishing in sixth place in theMidwest Division with a 19–63 record;^[20] this was also the first, and only season in which the Grizzlies finished with a better record than their Canadian rival, theToronto Raptors, who finished with a 16–66 record.

Second-year starShareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 22.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, whileBryant Reeves averaged 16.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, Mack and sixth manBlue Edwards both contributed 10.8 points per game each, while Mack led the Grizzlies with 110 three-point field goals, and Daniels provided the team with 7.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. In addition,George Lynch provided with 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench, andLee Mayberry contributed 4.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, after replacing Daniels as the team's starting point guard midway through the season.^[21]

During theNBA All-Star weekend atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, New York, Mack participated in theNBA Three-Point Shootout,^[22]^[23] while Daniels was selected for theNBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team.^[24]^[25] Following the season, Daniels was traded to theSan Antonio Spurs after only one season with the Grizzlies,^[26]^[27]^[28] while Edwards signed as a free agent with theMiami Heat during the next season,^[29]^[30] Lynch signed with thePhiladelphia 76ers,^[31]^[32] and Hurley was released to free agency.

For the season, the Grizzlies added new black alternate road uniforms with turquoise side panels, which would later on become their primary road jerseys for the 2000–01 season.^[33]

Draft picks

[edit]

The Grizzlies firstdraft pick wasAntonio Daniels, which was the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	4	Antonio Daniels	PG/SG	United States	Bowling Green State University
2	52	C.J. Bruton	G	United States	Indian Hills Community College

Roster

[edit]

1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Player	Height	Weight	DOB	From
F	3	Shareef Abdur-Rahim	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	––	California
F/C	23	Pete Chilcutt	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	––	North Carolina
G	33	Antonio Daniels	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	––	Bowling Green
G	30	Blue Edwards	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	––	East Carolina
G	12	Bobby Hurley	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	––	Duke
F	9	George Lynch	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	––	North Carolina
G	7	Sam Mack	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	––	Houston
F/C	44	Tony Massenburg	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	––	Maryland
G	11	Lee Mayberry	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	––	Arkansas
F	40	Ivano Newbill	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	––	Georgia Tech
C	50	Bryant Reeves	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	290 lb (132 kg)	––	Oklahoma State
G	6	Larry Robinson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	––	Centenary
F	34	Michael Smith	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	––	Providence
G	2	Doug West (IN)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	––	Villanova

Head coach

Brian Hill

Assistant(s)

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
(IN) Inactive
Injured

Roster

Roster Notes

[edit]

Shooting guardDoug West was acquired by the Grizzlies from theMinnesota Timberwolves in a mid-season trade, but was placed on theinjured reserve list due to going into rehab for alcohol treatment, and a hip contusion, and did not play for the Grizzlies this season.^[34]^[35]^[36]

Regular season

[edit]

The Grizzlies got off to their best start in team history, as thirteen games into the season, the team had a 6–7 record. On October 31, 1997, Violet Palmer made history in Vancouver when she officiated the NBA season opener between theVancouver Grizzlies and theDallas Mavericks, inBritish Columbia, Canada. The team would then fall into a slump, which included a thirteen-game losing streak as they fell out of playoff contention. Vancouver would finish the year with a 19–63 record, their best in team history, and finish out of last place for the first time ever.

Highs

[edit]

Vancouver recorded their first ever three game winning streak, as on January 20, they defeated theDenver Nuggets, followed by sweeping a home and home series against theGolden State Warriors.
On March 23, 1998, Vancouver defeated theLos Angeles Clippers 106–95 to earn their sixteenth win of the season, a team record. Vancouver finished with nineteen wins, four higher than their previous high of fifteen, set in 1995–96.
The Grizzlies finished out of the Midwest Division cellar for the first time in team history, as they had a 19–63 record, eight games better than theDenver Nuggets, who finished the year 11–71.

Lows

[edit]

On January 15, 1998, theWashington Wizards defeat Vancouver 112–110, sending the Grizzlies to their thirteenth consecutive loss.
From January 27 to April 5, the Grizzlies win only 3 of 31 games.

Season standings

[edit]

Midwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
z-Utah Jazz	62	20	.756	–	36–5	26–15	22–2
x-San Antonio Spurs	56	26	.683	6	31–10	25–16	18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves	45	37	.549	17	26–15	19–22	14–10
x-Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	21	24–17	17–24	14–10
Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244	42	13–28	7–34	9–15
Vancouver Grizzlies	19	63	.232	43	14–27	5–36	4–20
Denver Nuggets	11	71	.134	51	9–32	2–39	3–21

#	Western Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Utah Jazz	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Seattle SuperSonics	61	21	.744	1
3	x-Los Angeles Lakers	61	21	.744	1
4	x-Phoenix Suns	56	26	.683	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	56	26	.683	6
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	46	36	.561	16
7	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	45	37	.549	17
8	x-Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	21

9	Sacramento Kings	27	55	.329	35
10	Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244	42
11	Vancouver Grizzlies	19	63	.232	43
12	Golden State Warriors	19	63	.232	43
13	Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45
14	Denver Nuggets	11	71	.134	51

Game log

[edit]

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Attendance
1	October 31	Dallas Mavericks	88–90	0–1	17,021
2	November 1	Sacramento Kings	97–96	1–1	15,460
3	November 4	@Dallas Mavericks	87–92	1–2	14,285
4	November 5	@San Antonio Spurs	79–87	1–3	14,523
5	November 7	Minnesota Timberwolves	97–108	1–4	15,302
6	November 9	Detroit Pistons	104–96 (OT)	2–4	14,925
7	November 11	Los Angeles Clippers	119–113	3–4	15,160
8	November 12	@Utah Jazz	80–98	3–5	19,851
9	November 15	Milwaukee Bucks	109–94	4–5	17,666
10	November 16	@Los Angeles Lakers	95–121	4–6	17,139
11	November 18	@Denver Nuggets	100–87	5–6	9,718
12	November 19	@Seattle SuperSonics	87–107	5–7	17,072
13	November 21	Denver Nuggets	99–96	6–7	15,988
14	November 23	@New York Knicks	84–104	6–8	19,763
15	November 26	@Milwaukee Bucks	82–101	6–9	15,126
16	November 27	@Indiana Pacers	85–106	6–10	14,391
17	November 29	@Minnesota Timberwolves	87–106	6–11	17,494
18	November 30	@Detroit Pistons	97–95	7–11	16,030
19	December 3	Orlando Magic	97–101	7–12	15,069
20	December 5	Cleveland Cavaliers	98–107	7–13	15,558
21	December 9	@Phoenix Suns	85–107	7–14	19,023
22	December 12	Golden State Warriors	95–88	8–14	14,810
23	December 14	Houston Rockets	110–105	9–14	14,411
24	December 16	@Houston Rockets	91–118	9–15	16,285
25	December 17	@San Antonio Spurs	87–98	9–16	13,576
26	December 19	@Portland Trail Blazers	91–96	9–17	19,863
27	December 21	Portland Trail Blazers	88–86	10–17	15,174
28	December 26	Phoenix Suns	100–118	10–18	17,023
29	December 28	Utah Jazz	88–89	10–19	16,488
30	December 30	San Antonio Spurs	115–124	10–20	15,872
31	January 1	Philadelphia 76ers	104–115	10–21	15,495
32	January 2	@Sacramento Kings	80–94	10–22	13,925
33	January 4	Seattle SuperSonics	108–120	10–23	15,122
34	January 6	Los Angeles Lakers	87–100	10–24	15,837
35	January 7	@Los Angeles Clippers	102–110	10–25	4,107
36	January 9	Charlotte Hornets	90–98	10–26	15,251
37	January 11	Miami Heat	90–96	10–27	15,186
38	January 13	@Philadelphia 76ers	89–107	10–28	10,838
39	January 15	@Boston Celtics	93–97	10–29	16,855
40	January 16	@Washington Wizards	110–112	10–30	16,763
41	January 20	Denver Nuggets	88–77	11–30	15,852
42	January 23	@Golden State Warriors	88–80	12–30	12,359
43	January 24	Golden State Warriors	107–96	13–30	16,223
44	January 27	Chicago Bulls	85–103	13–31	19,193
45	January 29	Minnesota Timberwolves	106–112	13–32	15,111
46	January 31	New Jersey Nets	106–116	13–33	17,094
47	February 2	@Dallas Mavericks	90–104	13–34	11,049
48	February 3	@Houston Rockets	97–110	13–35	16,285
49	February 5	@Charlotte Hornets	93–108	13–36	21,984
50	February 12	Houston Rockets	103–112	13–37	15,620
51	February 14	Washington Wizards	110–108	14–37	16,105
52	February 18	Boston Celtics	105–114	14–38	16,703
53	February 20	@Atlanta Hawks	92–115	14–39	9,022
54	February 22	@Toronto Raptors	105–113 (OT)	14–40	16,932
55	February 24	@New Jersey Nets	101–110	14–41	13,335
56	February 25	@Cleveland Cavaliers	101–106	14–42	13,701
57	March 1	Atlanta Hawks	76–101	14–43	15,371
58	March 3	Indiana Pacers	103–111	14–44	15,095
59	March 6	Sacramento Kings	96–98	14–45	14,605
60	March 8	Toronto Raptors	113–106	15–45	16,098
61	March 12	@Denver Nuggets	93–98	15–46	9,112
62	March 13	@Utah Jazz	101–110	15–47	19,911
63	March 15	Los Angeles Lakers	110–119	15–48	18,983
64	March 17	@Orlando Magic	92–99	15–49	17,248
65	March 18	@Miami Heat	91–94	15–50	14,653
66	March 20	@Chicago Bulls	92–98	15–51	24,023
67	March 21	@Minnesota Timberwolves	88–102	15–52	18,336
68	March 23	Los Angeles Clippers	106–95	16–52	15,392
69	March 26	@Portland Trail Blazers	102–108	16–53	20,581
70	March 27	New York Knicks	89–97 (OT)	16–54	17,630
71	March 29	@Phoenix Suns	98–106	16–55	19,023
72	March 31	Dallas Mavericks	101–104	16–56	15,120
73	April 3	Seattle SuperSonics	98–138	16–57	19,193
74	April 5	Utah Jazz	93–99	16–58	18,068
75	April 7	@Los Angeles Clippers	110–94	17–58	5,124
76	April 8	@Los Angeles Lakers	102–113	17–59	17,505
77	April 11	Portland Trail Blazers	105–96 (OT)	18–59	16,432
78	April 12	Phoenix Suns	106–129	18–60	16,266
79	April 14	@Seattle SuperSonics	98–110	18–61	17,072
80	April 16	San Antonio Spurs	97–110	18–62	17,485
81	April 18	@Golden State Warriors	100–112	18–63	16,481
82	April 19	@Sacramento Kings	112–108 (OT)	19–63	15,329

Player statistics

[edit]

Ragular season

[edit]

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Shareef Abdur-Rahim	SF	82	82	2,950	581	213	89	76	1,829	36.0	7.1	2.6	1.1	.9	22.3
George Lynch	SF	82	0	1,493	362	122	65	41	616	18.2	4.4	1.5	.8	.5	7.5
Pete Chilcutt	PF	82	0	1,420	306	104	53	37	405	17.3	3.7	1.3	.6	.5	4.9
Blue Edwards	SG	81	20	1,968	217	201	86	27	872	24.3	2.7	2.5	1.1	.3	10.8
Lee Mayberry	PG	79	32	1,835	114	349	65	10	363	23.2	1.4	4.4	.8	.1	4.6
Bryant Reeves	C	74	74	2,527	585	155	39	80	1,207	34.1	7.9	2.1	.5	1.1	16.3
Antonio Daniels	SG	74	50	1,956	143	334	55	10	579	26.4	1.9	4.5	.7	.1	7.8
Tony Massenburg	C	61	13	894	232	21	25	24	396	14.7	3.8	.3	.4	.4	6.5
Sam Mack	SF	57	54	1,414	133	101	41	11	616	24.8	2.3	1.8	.7	.2	10.8
Otis Thorpe^†	PF	47	46	1,574	371	161	30	23	528	33.5	7.9	3.4	.6	.5	11.2
Michael Smith^†	PF	30	29	706	206	59	26	6	182	23.5	6.9	2.0	.9	.2	6.1
Ivano Newbill	PF	28	2	249	69	9	10	3	58	8.9	2.5	.3	.4	.1	2.1
Bobby Hurley^†	PG	27	0	458	30	97	10	0	122	17.0	1.1	3.6	.4	.0	4.5
Chris Robinson^†	SG	16	0	143	13	10	7	1	54	8.9	.8	.6	.4	.1	3.4
Anthony Peeler^†	SG	8	8	202	20	23	9	0	79	25.3	2.5	2.9	1.1	.0	9.9
Larry Robinson	SF	6	0	41	12	1	4	0	17	6.8	2.0	.2	.7	.0	2.8

^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Grizzlies only.

Awards and records

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(February 2013)

Transactions

[edit]

Vancouver acquired forward-centerOtis Thorpe in a trade with theDetroit Pistons. The Grizzlies gave up a conditional first round draft pick. Vancouver also acquiredSam Mack from theHouston Rockets to become the team's starting shooting guard. Midway through the season, Thorpe was traded along withChris Robinson to theSacramento Kings forMichael Smith andBobby Hurley.

The Grizzlies hiredBrian Hill to become the head coach. Hill had previously been the head coach of theOrlando Magic from 1993 to 1997, leading them to a 191–104 record under his helm. The Magic advanced to the1995 NBA Finals and had a 60 win season in 1995–96.

References

[edit]

^1997-98 Vancouver Grizzlies
^Wise, Mike (June 26, 1997)."After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show".The New York Times. RetrievedJuly 25, 2021.
^Heisler, Mark (June 26, 1997)."Draft Over, But Not Finished".Los Angeles Times. RetrievedDecember 1, 2022.
^"1997 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedDecember 1, 2022.
^Povtak, Tim (June 18, 1997)."Hill Leads Hunt for Grizzlies' Job".Orlando Sentinel. RetrievedDecember 12, 2022.
^"Brian Hill Is Hired to Coach Grizzlies".The New York Times. Associated Press. June 27, 1997. RetrievedOctober 22, 2022.
^"Hill Gets Fresh Start With Grizzlies".Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 27, 1997. RetrievedDecember 12, 2022.
^Gardner, Kris (August 7, 1997)."Pistons Deal Thorpe to Vancouver".The Houston Roundball Review. RetrievedDecember 5, 2022.
^"Grizzlies Obtain Pistons' Thorpe".The New York Times. Associated Press. August 8, 1997. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2022.
^"Thorpe Sent to Grizzlies".Tampa Bay Times. August 8, 1997. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2022.
^"Grizzlies Acquire Massenburg, Mack".Associated Press. October 28, 1997. Archived fromthe original on June 27, 2022. RetrievedJune 27, 2022.
^Gardner, Kris (October 28, 1997)."Two Minor Deals Completed on October 28, 1997".The Houston Roundball Review. RetrievedNovember 18, 2022.
^"NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedJanuary 2, 2023.
^Wise, Mike (February 19, 1998)."BASKETBALL; Kenny Anderson Is Traded to Celtics in 7-Player Deal".The New York Times. RetrievedDecember 5, 2022.
^"Celtics Land Anderson in Deal with Raptors".Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 19, 1998. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2022.
^"In Seven-Player Swap, Raptors Trade Anderson to the Celtics".The Washington Post. February 19, 1998. RetrievedJuly 27, 2021.
^Heisler, Mark (February 20, 1998)."It's a Big Deal for Clippers: There Are No Slam Dunks in the Flurry of NBA Deals".Los Angeles Times. RetrievedDecember 4, 2022.
^Smith, Sam (February 20, 1998)."NBA's Rash of Trades Ends with Another Seikaly Deal".Chicago Tribune. RetrievedJune 22, 2023.
^"Trade Completed".The Washington Post. February 22, 1998. RetrievedNovember 9, 2022.
^"1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedJune 28, 2021.
^"1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedJune 28, 2021.
^"NBA Long-Distance Shootout Roster".Record-Journal. January 21, 1998. p. 20. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025.
^"NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025.
^"1998 NBA Rookie Game Roster".Times-Union. Associated Press. February 6, 1998. p. 4B. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025.
^"1998 NBA Rising Stars: East 85, West 80". Basketball-Reference. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025.
^"Clippers Pick Olowokandi No. 1".CBS News. CBS News.com Staff. June 24, 1998. RetrievedJuly 2, 2023.
^Wise, Mike (June 25, 1998)."PRO BASKETBALL; 7 Feet 1 Inch of Potential at No. 1".The New York Times. RetrievedNovember 18, 2022.
^Popper, Steve (June 25, 1998)."PRO BASKETBALL; Lopez of St. John's Ends Up with Grizzlies".The New York Times. RetrievedOctober 6, 2022.
^"Ex-Jazzman Edwards Signs with Heat".Deseret News. February 15, 1999. RetrievedNovember 18, 2022.
^Winderman, Ira (February 26, 1999)."Valuing Family".Sun Sentinel. RetrievedOctober 10, 2022.
^"76ers Add Plenty of New Faces".Pocono Record. Associated Press. January 22, 1999. RetrievedDecember 12, 2022.
^Wise, Mike (February 4, 1999)."PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title".The New York Times. RetrievedJune 28, 2022.
^"Vancouver Grizzlies Uniform".Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. RetrievedJuly 8, 2021.
^Shapiro, Mark (February 24, 1998)."Grizzlies' West Admits Substance Abuse".Chicago Tribune. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2023.
^"Grizzlies' West Vows to Deal with Drinking".Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 25, 1998. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2023.
^"Grizzlies' West Returns from Rehab".Associated Press. April 10, 1998. Archived fromthe original on July 9, 2021. RetrievedJuly 4, 2021.

1997–98 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Miami New Jersey New York Orlando Philadelphia Washington
Central	Atlanta Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee Toronto

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Minnesota San Antonio Utah Vancouver
Pacific	Golden State L.A. Clippers L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland Sacramento Seattle

v t e Memphis Grizzlies
Founded in1995 Played inVancouver (1995–2001) Based inMemphis, Tennessee
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history 1995 expansion Records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	General Motors Place Pyramid Arena FedExForum
Personnel	Owner(s) Memphis Basketball, LLC (Robert Pera, controlling owner) President Jason Wexler General manager Zach Kleiman Head coach Tuomas Iisalo
G League affiliate	Memphis Hustle
Retired numbers	9 33 50
Culture and lore	Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis Naismith Cup Finding Big Country The Grizzlie Truth Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment Michael Heisley Don Poier Rick Trotter Grit and Grind Growl Towel "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" Radio network