| Vancouver Grizzlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Conference | Western | ||
| Division | Midwest | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| History | Vancouver Grizzlies 1995–2001 Memphis Grizzlies 2001–present[1][2] | ||
| Arena | General Motors Place | ||
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia | ||
| Team colors | Turquoise, bronze, red, black[3][4] | ||
| General manager | Stu Jackson (1994–2000) Billy Knight (2000–2001) | ||
| Head coach | Brian Winters (1995–1997) Stu Jackson (1997) Brian Hill (1997–1999) Lionel Hollins (1999–2000) Sidney Lowe (2000–2001) | ||
| Ownership | Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment (1995–2000) Michael Heisley (2000–2001) | ||
| Championships | 0 | ||
| Conference titles | 0 | ||
| Division titles | 0 | ||
| |||
TheVancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professionalbasketball team based inVancouver. The Grizzlies competed in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of theMidwest Division of theWestern Conference. The team was established in 1995, along with theToronto Raptors, as part of the NBA'sexpansion intoCanada. Following the2000–01 season, the teamrelocated toMemphis, Tennessee, United States and was renamed theMemphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors Place (nowRogers Arena) for all of their six seasons in Vancouver.
Like most expansion teams, the Grizzlies struggled in their early years. The team finished last in their division in all but one season (1997-98 Denver Nuggets), and never won more than 30% of its games in any of the team's seasons in Vancouver. In total, the team won 101 games, lost 359, and never qualified for theNBA playoffs. The two expansion teams were denied early draft picks in the first season, but the Grizzlies securedShareef Abdur-Rahim in 1996 andMike Bibby with the second pick of the1998 NBA draft. The team continued to lose games despite high draft picks. After they selectedSteve Francis as second pick in 1999, he refused to play in Vancouver and was traded away. After the1998–99 lockout, lower attendance and a weakCanadian dollar caused the ownerOrca Bay Sports and Entertainment to lose money on the franchise. After a failed attempt to sell the team toBill Laurie, it was instead sold toMichael Heisley and subsequently moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for the2001–02 season.
The only former professional basketball team to play in Canada was theToronto Huskies, who played a single season in1946–47 before folding. Attempts had been made byNelson Skalbania, a local entrepreneur, to get an NBA franchise to Vancouver in the 1980s, but had failed.Arthur Griffiths, owner of theVancouver Canucks of theNational Hockey League (NHL) through Northwest Sports Enterprises, announced in February 1993 that he hoped to bring an NBA franchise to Vancouver. Griffiths was developing a privately owned 20,000-seat arena for the Canucks indowntown Vancouver, which was scheduled for completion for the 1995–96 season.[5] TheToronto Raptors were awarded an expansion franchise for that season on September 30, 1993.[6] On February 14, 1994, the NBA's Expansion Committee gave a preliminary approval for Vancouver, with full approval being granted by the Board of Governors on 27 April. Both franchises paid a fee of US$125 million, up from $32.5 million paid during the 1988–89 expansion. The Grizzlies became the NBA's 29th franchise.[5]
One hindrance for the expansion was that the NBA wanted the province of British Columbia to abolish wagering on Grizzlies games, specifically by removing the games from the Sports Actions betting. NBA betting accounted for CA$1.56 million in 1993, with the profits going to provincial health care. Similar demands were laid forward in Ontario. There was large public opposition against the league's demands. This issue was resolved on February 9, 1994, after the franchise company agreed to donate $500,000 per year to health care.[5]
The company hiredStu Jackson as general manager on 22 July, who was at the time head coach of theUniversity of Wisconsin Badgers and, previously, head coach for theNew York Knicks. Jackson started by hiring a scouting department headed byLarry Riley.[5] Original proposals were for the team to be called the Vancouver Mounties, but objections from theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police forced the team to find a new name, which was announced on 11 August, named for the bear indigenous to British Columbia.[7][8] The team colors were announced to be turquoise, bronze and red.[5]
The Grizzlies were the first NBA team to have a website, which was created in 1995 by Bob Kerstein, Chief Information Officer of the Grizzlies at the time.[9] Josh Davis was credited with designing the Vancouver Grizzlies logo in 1995.
To start playing, the team needed to have sold 12,500 season tickets with 50 percent payment prior to January 1, 1995. This was a number higher than that of the Canucks, and bothOrlando Magic andMinnesota Timberwolves had seen problems reaching 10,000 during the 1989 expansion. On December 21, 1994, only about 10,000 tickets had been sold whenShoppers Drug Mart purchased the necessary 2,500 tickets to push the team over the limit, in a deal similar to what was necessary in Toronto. On March 7, 1995, the majority of the holding company was sold from Griffiths toSeattle-basedJohn McCaw, Jr. Griffiths and McCaw, Jr. proceeded to create a parent company for the Canucks, Grizzlies and theGeneral Motors Place, which at first was baptized Northwest Entertainment Group, but got renamed in August asOrca Bay Sports and Entertainment.Brian Winters was announced as head coach on 19 June. Winters had spent the past nine seasons as an assistant underLenny Wilkens with theAtlanta Hawks andCleveland Cavaliers. Prior to the draft, the team signedfree agentKevin Pritchard, the team's first player.[5][10]
Five days later, the Grizzlies and Raptors attended the1995 NBA expansion draft. Each of the 27 NBA teams could protect eight of their players, and the two expansion teams could select one unprotected player from each team. Vancouver won the coin flip, and opted for a better position in the upcoming draft, allowing the Raptors the first pick. Vancouver's first pick was Knicks' point guardGreg Anthony; other top players were guardsByron Scott andGerald Wilkins, and swingmanBlue Edwards. The team also selected forwardKenny Gattison, centerBenoit Benjamin, forwardLarry Stewart,Rodney Dent,Antonio Harvey,Reggie Slater,Trevor Ruffin,Derrick Phelps andDoug Edwards.[5]
Both the Canadian teams were hampered by the NBA's decision to deny them one of the top five picks in the draft. The teams would not be allowed a top draft pick in the following three seasons, even if they should winthe lottery. The teams were also hindered from using their fullsalary cap the first two seasons.[11] In thefirst draft, the Grizzlies were sixth and selected centerBryant Reeves. Although a solid player, he failed both at carrying the team and, lacking creative style, did not help draw up attendance.[12]
Every year, except the 1998–99 season,[13] the Grizzlies played the Raptors in the pre-seasonNaismith Cup, held at a neutral venue in Canada.[14] The Grizzlies' first official contest was against thePortland Trail Blazers; both the first game and the following game against the Timberwolves were won.[15] The team followed up by losing19 straight games, and later set the NBA single-season record of 23 straight losses in February to April[16] (a record since bested by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers). The season ended with 15 wins and 67 losses—the .196winning percentage being the lowest in the whole league. The team saw an average attendance of 17,183 spectators, 14th in the NBA.[15]
Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected third overall by the Grizzlies in the1996 NBA draft.[17] The Grizzlies also traded forAnthony Peeler andGeorge Lynch from theLos Angeles Lakers on July 16, 1996.[18][19] Abdur-Rahim made an immediate impact playing for the Grizzlies, becoming the team's leading scorer while setting a franchise record of 18.7points per game (ppg). He finished third in balloting for theNBA Rookie of the Year and was picked for theNBA All-Rookie First Team. By the end of the1996–97 season, Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring on 33 occasions, rebounding on 23 occasions.[20] Despite these acquisitions, Brian Winters was removed as head coach after 43 games of the 1996–97 season, and replaced for the remainder of the season byStu Jackson. The Grizzlies went on to win only 14 games that season, again the worst in the whole league.[21]
The1997–98 season saw the hiring ofBrian Hill as head coach.[22] Inthe draft, Vancouver selectedAntonio Daniels with the fourth pick.[23] The team traded to getOtis Thorpe for the2003 first-round draft pick andSam Mack forRodrick Rhodes. Both would play a single season for the Grizzlies.[24][25] The team won 19 games, placing the sixth in the division, ahead of theDenver Nuggets,[26] and 25th overall in the league.[27]
Ahead of the1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies season, the Grizzlies signed free agentCherokee Parks[28] and traded Daniels for the Spurs' Felipe López andCarl Herrera.[23] Inthe draft, the Grizzlies selectedMike Bibby with the second overall pick.[29] During the1998–99 season, Abdur-Rahim elevated his performance with 23.0 ppg, the highest season average of his career.[30] Due to the1998–99 NBA lockout, the season was reduced to only 50 games.[31] As a result, the league's average attendance dropped that season.[32] Vancouver actually registered a slight increase in attendance.[27] This was despite the team finishing with 8 wins and 42 losses, yielding the all-time low winning percentage of .160.[27]
The Grizzlies again had second pick in the1999 draft. Despite having an all-star caliber point guard in Mike Bibby, they selectedSteve Francis. He had hoped to be selected first by theChicago Bulls, and his managers had several times indicated that he was not interested in playing in Vancouver. He relented and briefly considered joining the Grizzlies, but after an incident at the airport, his managerJeffrey Fried started trying to get him traded. In what became the biggest deal till then in NBA history, involving eleven players and three teams,[33] Francis andTony Massenburg were sent to Houston,Michael Smith,Lee Mayberry,Rodrick Rhodes andMakhtar N'Diaye were sent toOrlando Magic, while the Grizzlies received forwardsOthella Harrington andAntoine Carr, guardsMichael Dickerson andBrent Price, first- and second-round draft picks and cash.[34] Francis would go on to win theRookie of the Year Award,[35] and was harassed both verbally and physically by fans when he played in Vancouver.[12]
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The1999–2000 season sawLionel Hollins take over as coach after 22 games, after Hill had only four wins. The season ended with 22 wins and 60 losses, placing the Grizzlies last in the division. The season also saw a large drop in attendance, averaging 13,899, ranking the team 27th in the league.[36] Hollins was relieved as head coach following the 1999–2000 season. He would later serve two additional stints as head coach of the Grizzlies following their move to Memphis, thus making him head coach of the team on three occasions.
For the2000–01 season, the team's final season in Vancouver,Sidney Lowe was hired as head coach.[37] ForwardStromile Swift was selected as the second-overall pick inthe draft.[38] Despite finishing with a franchise-best 23 wins and 59 losses, the team still finished last in the division.[37] The team's final home game at GM Place was against the Rockets on April 14, 2001. The team's final game as the Vancouver Grizzlies was a 95–81 win against theGolden State Warriors on April 18, 2001.[39]
Financially, the lockout that occurred in 1998 was the turning point for the team. Attendance plummeted from a league average of 16,108 in the 1997–98 season to 13,899 in the 1999–2000 season, which was the third-lowest in the league.[27][36] Orca Bay started losing money on operations, in part because of a weak Canadian dollar.[40]
Griffiths sold Orca Bay toSeattle-basedJohn McCaw, Jr. in 1995 and 1996.[5][41] In September 1999, McCaw announced the sale of the Grizzlies, but not the arena or the Canucks, to NHL'sSt. Louis Blues ownerBill Laurie for US$200 million.[42] He stated that he intended to move the Grizzlies toSt. Louis, but the transaction was stopped by the NBA.[43]
Instead, McCaw sold the team toChicago-basedMichael Heisley for US$160 million. At the time he stated that he intended to keep the team in Vancouver,[44] but immediately started a process to find a suitable relocation city in the US.[45] Cities considered for relocation of the team included Memphis,[46]Nashville,[47]Las Vegas,[45]New Orleans,[48]Tampa,[48]Anaheim,[49]San Diego,[48]Buffalo[50] andLouisville.[51] Despite the need for the construction of a new venue to house the team on a permanent basis,[52] Memphis was announced as the recipient city (pending league approval) on March 26, 2001.[53] The NBA Board of Governors approved the move on July 3, 2001.[54][55]
The last Vancouver Grizzlies player on Memphis' active roster wasStromile Swift, who last played for the team in the2007-08 season, though he played for Houston in the 2005–06 season before returning to Memphis. The last active Vancouver Grizzlies player in the NBA wasMike Bibby, who retired after playing for theNew York Knicks following the conclusion of the 2011–12 season.
The Vancouver Grizzlies' original uniforms featured Indigenous imagery and red accents on the piping. Home uniforms were white with turquoise letters and black and bronze trim, while road uniforms were turquoise with white letters and black and bronze trim. The front of the uniform featured the full team name from the logo, while the "howling bear" alternate was emblazoned on the left leg. The "ball and claws" logo is also added to the beltline.
In the 1997–98 season, the Grizzlies added a black alternate uniform, featuring only the city name in front and thick turquoise and thin red stripes. Letters were in white with red and turquoise trim. The alternate "G-bear" logo is on the right leg, while the "paw" logo is on the beltline. The "ball and claws" logo was moved below the neckline. This uniform would become the primary for the 2000–01 season. A corresponding white uniform, with the team name and letters in black with red and turquoise trim, was also unveiled that season.
Both original Vancouver Grizzlies uniforms have since been brought back by the current Memphis Grizzlies in the2019–20 (turquoise) and2024–25 (white) seasons, as part of the Grizzlies franchise's 25th and 30th anniversaries respectively.[56][57]
General Motors Place was host to the Vancouver Grizzlies for all of their games before moving to Memphis, Tennessee. The arena has since changed its name toRogers Arena.
While in Vancouver, the Grizzlies played in theMidwest Division of theWestern Conference.
| Season | Regular season | Postseason | Attendance | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | GP | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1995–96 | 7th | 82 | 15 | 67 | .183 | — | 17,183 | [15] |
| 1996–97 | 7th | 82 | 14 | 68 | .171 | — | 16,571 | [21] |
| 1997–98 | 6th | 82 | 19 | 63 | .232 | — | 16,108 | [27] |
| 1998–99 | 7th | 50 | 8 | 42 | .160 | — | 16,718 | [27] |
| 1999–00 | 7th | 82 | 22 | 60 | .268 | — | 13,899 | [36] |
| 2000–01 | 7th | 82 | 23 | 59 | .280 | — | 13,737 | [37] |
Five people have been head coach for the Vancouver Grizzlies. The following lists the Grizzlies coaches while in Vancouver. It contains games coached (GC), wins (W), losses (L),winning percentage (Win%) and number as coach (#).
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Winters | 1995–1997 | 184 | 36 | 148 | .196 | [58] |
| 2 | Stu Jackson | 1997 | 39 | 6 | 33 | .154 | [59] |
| 3 | Brian Hill | 1997–1999 | 154 | 31 | 123 | .201 | [60] |
| 4 | Lionel Hollins | 1999–2000 | 60 | 18 | 42 | .300 | [61] |
| 5 | Sidney Lowe | 2000–2001 | 82 | 23 | 59 | .280 | [62] |
The team has been the subject of two documentary films by Vancouver filmmakerKathleen Jayme:Finding Big Country (2018)[63] andThe Grizzlie Truth (2022).[64]
The new Classic Edition uniform features the team's original primary logo and team colors of turquoise, bronze, red and black in one of the more memorable uniform looks in NBA history.
