Vancouver Grizzlies

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Vancouver Grizzlies
Vancouver Grizzlies logo.svg
Conference Western
Division Midwest
Founded1995
HistoryVancouver Grizzlies
1995–2001
Memphis Grizzlies
2001–present [1] [2]
Arena General Motors Place
Location Vancouver, British Columbia
Team colorsTurquoise, 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)
Championships0
Conference titles0
Division titles0
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Kit shorts vancouvergrizzlies home.png
Kit shorts.svg
Home
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Road

The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada. Following the 2000–01 season, the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, United States and was renamed the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena) for all of their six seasons in Vancouver.

Contents

Like most expansion teams, the Grizzlies struggled in their early years. The team finished last in their division in five of its seasons, 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 the NBA playoffs. The two expansion teams were denied early draft picks in the first season, but the Grizzlies secured Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1996 and Mike Bibby with the 2nd pick of the 1998 draft. The team continued to lose games despite high draft picks. After they selected Steve Francis as second pick in 1999, he refused to play in Vancouver and was traded away. After the 1998–99 lockout, lower attendance and a weak Canadian dollar caused the owner Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment to lose money on the franchise. After a failed attempt to sell the team to Bill Laurie, it was instead sold to Michael Heisley and subsequently moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for the 2001–02 season.

History

Establishment

The only former professional basketball team to play in Canada was the Toronto Huskies, who played a single season in 1946–47 before folding. Attempts had been made by Nelson Skalbania, a local entrepreneur, to get an NBA franchise to Vancouver in the 1980s, but had failed. Arthur Griffiths, owner of the Vancouver Canucks of the National 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 in downtown Vancouver, which was scheduled for completion for the 1995–96 season. [3] The Toronto Raptors were awarded an expansion franchise for that season on September 30, 1993. [5] 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. [3]

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. [3]

The company hired Stu Jackson as general manager on 22 July, who was at the time head coach of the University of Wisconsin Badgers and, previously, head coach for the New York Knicks. Jackson started by hiring a scouting department headed by Larry Riley. [3] Original proposals were for the team to be called the Vancouver Mounties, but objections from the Royal 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. [6] [7] The team colors were announced to be turquoise, bronze and red. [3]

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. [8] 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 both Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves had seen problems reaching 10,000 during the 1989 expansion. On December 21, 1994, only about 10,000 tickets had been sold when Shoppers 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 to Seattle-based John McCaw, Jr. Griffiths and McCaw, Jr. proceeded to create a parent company for the Canucks, Grizzlies and the General Motors Place, which at first was baptized Northwest Entertainment Group, but got renamed in August as Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment. Brian Winters was announced as head coach on 19 June. Winters had spent the past nine seasons as an assistant under Lenny Wilkens with the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to the draft, the team signed free agent Kevin Pritchard, the team's first player. [3] [9]

Five days later, the Grizzlies and Raptors attended the 1995 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 guard Greg Anthony; other top players were guards Byron Scott and Gerald Wilkins, and swingman Blue Edwards. The team also selected forward Kenny Gattison, center Benoit Benjamin, forward Larry Stewart, Rodney Dent, Antonio Harvey, Reggie Slater, Trevor Ruffin, Derrick Phelps and Doug Edwards. [3]

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 win the lottery. The teams were also hindered from using their full salary cap the first two seasons. [10] In the first draft, the Grizzlies were sixth and selected center Bryant Reeves. Although a solid player, he failed both at carrying the team and, lacking creative style, did not help draw up attendance. [11]

Six seasons

Every year, except the 1998–99 season, [12] the Grizzlies played the Raptors in the pre-season Naismith Cup, held at a neutral venue in Canada. [13] The Grizzlies' first official contest was against the Portland Trail Blazers; both the first game and the following game against the Timberwolves were won. [14] The team followed up by losing 19 straight games, and later set the NBA single-season record of 23 straight losses in February to April [15] (a record since bested by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers). The season ended with 15 wins and 67 losses—the .196 winning percentage being the lowest in the whole league. The team saw an average attendance of 17,183 spectators, 14th in the NBA. [14]

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected third overall by the Grizzlies in the 1996 NBA draft. [16] The Grizzlies also traded for Anthony Peeler and George Lynch from the Los Angeles Lakers on July 16, 1996. [17] [18] Abdur-Rahim made an immediate impact playing for the Grizzlies, becoming the team's leading scorer while setting a franchise record of 18.7 points per game (ppg). He finished third in balloting for the NBA Rookie of the Year and was picked for the NBA All-Rookie First Team. By the end of the 1996–97 season, Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring on 33 occasions, rebounding on 23 occasions. [19] 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 by Stu Jackson. The Grizzlies went on to win only 14 games that season, again the worst in the whole league. [20]

The 1997–98 season saw the hiring of Brian Hill as head coach. [21] In the draft, Vancouver selected Antonio Daniels with the fourth pick. [22] The team traded to get Otis Thorpe for the 2003 first-round draft pick and Sam Mack for Rodrick Rhodes. Both would play a single season for the Grizzlies. [23] [24] The team won 19 games, placing the sixth in the division, ahead of the Denver Nuggets, [25] and 25th overall in the league. [26]

Ahead of the 1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies season, the Grizzlies signed free agent Cherokee Parks [27] and traded Daniels for the Spurs' Felipe López and Carl Herrera. [22] In the draft, the Grizzlies selected Mike Bibby with the second overall pick. [28] During the 1998–99 season, Abdur-Rahim elevated his performance with 23.0 ppg, the highest season average of his career. [29] Due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout, the season was reduced to only 50 games. [30] As a result, the league's average attendance dropped that season. [31] Vancouver actually registered a slight increase in attendance. [26] This was despite the team finishing with 8 wins and 42 losses, yielding the all-time low winning percentage of .160. [26]

The Grizzlies again had second pick in the 1999 draft. Despite having an all-star caliber point guard in Mike Bibby, they selected Steve Francis. He had hoped to be selected first by the Chicago 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 manager Jeffrey Fried started trying to get him traded. In what became the biggest deal till then in NBA history, involving eleven players and three teams, [32] Francis and Tony Massenburg were sent to Houston, Michael Smith, Lee Mayberry, Rodrick Rhodes and Makhtar N'Diaye were sent to Orlando Magic, while the Grizzlies received forwards Othella Harrington and Antoine Carr, guards Michael Dickerson and Brent Price, first- and second-round draft picks and cash. [33] Francis would go on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, [34] and was harassed both verbally and physically by fans when he played in Vancouver. [11]

A ticket from the Grizzlies' final home game in Vancouver Houston Rockets at Vancouver Grizzlies 2001-04-14 (ticket).jpg
A ticket from the Grizzlies' final home game in Vancouver

The 1999–2000 season saw Lionel 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. [35] 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 the 2000–01 season, the team's final season in Vancouver, Sidney Lowe was hired as head coach. [36] Forward Stromile Swift was selected as the second-overall pick in the draft. [37] Despite finishing with a franchise-best 23 wins and 59 losses, the team still finished last in the division. [36] 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 the Golden State Warriors on April 18, 2001. [38]

Relocation

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. [26] [35] Orca Bay started losing money on operations, in part because of a weak Canadian dollar. [39]

Griffiths sold Orca Bay to Seattle-based John McCaw, Jr. in 1995 and 1996. [3] [40] In September 1999, McCaw announced the sale of the Grizzlies, but not the arena or the Canucks, to NHL's St. Louis Blues owner Bill Laurie for US$200 million. [41] He stated that he intended to move the Grizzlies to St. Louis, but the transaction was stopped by the NBA. [42]

Instead, McCaw sold the team to Chicago-based Michael Heisley for US$160 million. At the time he stated that he intended to keep the team in Vancouver, [43] but immediately started a process to find a suitable relocation city in the US. [44] Cities considered for relocation of the team included Memphis, [45] Nashville, [46] Las Vegas, [44] New Orleans, [47] Tampa, [47] Anaheim, [48] San Diego, [47] Buffalo [49] and Louisville. [50] Despite the need for the construction of a new venue to house the team on a permanent basis, [51] Memphis was announced as the recipient city (pending league approval) on March 26, 2001. [52] The NBA Board of Governors approved the move on July 3, 2001. [53] [54]

The last active Vancouver Grizzlies player to play in the NBA was Mike Bibby, who retired after playing for the New York Knicks following the conclusion of the 2011–12 season.

Uniforms

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.

Venue

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 to Rogers Arena.

General Motors Place was the home for the Vancouver Grizzlies Vancouver-gmplace3.jpg
General Motors Place was the home for the Vancouver Grizzlies

Season-by-season record

While in Vancouver, the Grizzlies played in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference.

SeasonRegular season Postseason AttendanceRef
PosGPWLWin%
1995–96 7th821567.183—17,183 [14]
1996–97 7th821468.171—16,571 [20]
1997–98 6th821963.232—16,108 [26]
1998–99 7th50842.160—16,718 [26]
1999–00 7th822260.268—13,899 [35]
2000–01 7th822359.280—13,737 [36]

Head coaches

Lionel Hollins was the interim coach of the Grizzlies during their 1999-2000 campaign in Vancouver. After the move to Memphis, he served a second stint as interim coach in 2004. He then served as full-time coach from the 2009-10 season through the 2012-13 season. Lionel-hollins.jpg
Lionel Hollins was the interim coach of the Grizzlies during their 1999–2000 campaign in Vancouver. After the move to Memphis, he served a second stint as interim coach in 2004. He then served as full-time coach from the 2009–10 season through the 2012–13 season.

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 (#).

#NameTermGCWLWin%Ref
Brian Winters 1995–1997 18436148.196 [55]
Stu Jackson 1997 39633.154 [56]
Brian Hill 1997–1999 15431123.201 [57]
Lionel Hollins 1999–2000 601842.300 [58]
Sidney Lowe 2000–2001 822359.280 [59]

Franchise records

Cultural depictions

The team has been the subject of two documentary films by Vancouver filmmaker Kathleen Jayme, Finding Big Country (2018) [60] and The Grizzlie Truth (2022). [61]

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The 1995–96 NBA season was the Grizzlies' first season in the National Basketball Association. The Vancouver Grizzlies, along with the Toronto Raptors became expansion NBA franchises in 1995. They were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since the 1946–47 Toronto Huskies. The Grizzlies revealed a new primary logo of a grizzly bear holding a basketball, and got new uniforms with Native American markings on the trims of their jerseys, adding turquoise and brown to their color scheme.

The 2000–01 NBA season was the Grizzlies' sixth season in the National Basketball Association. It would also be their final year in Vancouver. For the third straight year, the Grizzlies had the second pick in the 2000 NBA draft, which they used to select Stromile Swift out of Louisiana State University. During the off-season, the team acquired Isaac Austin from the Washington Wizards, re-acquired Tony Massenburg after one season with the Houston Rockets, and signed free agent Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Entering their sixth season, the rumors of a move became a reality. Club owner Michael Heisley decided that it was time for the Grizzlies to move on. After five losing seasons had given the team low morale and decreasing support in the community, the team found itself in debt. Despite winning four of their first five games under new head coach Sidney Lowe, the Grizzlies lost seven straight afterwards, losing 21 of their next 25 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Grizzlies draft history</span> Overview of Memphis Grizzlies draft picks

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The 1995 NBA expansion draft was the tenth expansion draft in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 24, 1995, so that the newly founded Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies could acquire players for the upcoming 1995–96 season. Toronto was awarded an expansion team on September 30, 1993, while Vancouver was awarded the league's 29th franchise on April 27, 1994. They were the first NBA teams based in Canada since the 1946–47 season Toronto Huskies.

The 2001–02 NBA season was the Grizzlies' 7th season in the National Basketball Association, and their first season in Memphis. After six years of struggling in Vancouver, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. Although it was the first NBA team for the city, Memphis played home to an American Basketball Association team known as the Memphis Sounds from 1970 to 1975. The Grizzlies had the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected small forward Shane Battier from Duke University, and acquired top draft pick and Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol, point guard Brevin Knight and former University of Memphis star Lorenzen Wright from the Atlanta Hawks; Gasol was drafted by the Hawks with the third overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired point guard Jason Williams, and veteran shooting guard Nick Anderson from the Sacramento Kings, and signed free agent Rodney Buford. However, center Bryant Reeves missed the entire season with a preseason back injury, and never played for the team in Memphis during the regular season.

The 1996–97 NBA season was the Grizzlies' second season in the National Basketball Association. Coming off of an NBA worst record of 15–67 in their first season, the Grizzlies had the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the University of California. The team acquired Anthony Peeler and George Lynch from the Los Angeles Lakers, and signed free agent Lee Mayberry during the off-season. However, the Grizzlies continued to struggle in their second season, losing their first seven games, then posting an 8-game losing streak in January as head coach Brian Winters was fired after an 8–35 start, and was replaced with General Manager Stu Jackson. The Grizzlies held a 9–42 record at the All-Star break, then suffered a 15-game losing streak between February and March, and went on a nine-game losing streak between March and April, finishing last place in the Midwest Division with a league worst record of 14–68, their worst record in franchise history.

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Grizzlies' third season in the National Basketball Association. After finishing with the worst record in their first two seasons, the Grizzlies selected Antonio Daniels out of Bowling Green State University with the fourth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. In the off-season, the team hired Brian Hill as their new head coach; Hill previously coached the Orlando Magic, and led them to the 1995 NBA Finals, where they lost in four straight games to the Houston Rockets. The team also acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons, acquired three-point specialist Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, and acquired Tony Massenburg from the Boston Celtics.

The 1998–99 NBA season was the Grizzlies' fourth season in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis</span> Moving of an NBA team in 2001

The Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Vancouver Grizzlies to move the team from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The team began play as the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2001–02 season. It was the first of three National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise moves between 2001 and 2008, and the third of four major league teams to relocate from Canada to the United States between 1995 and 2005.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee.

References

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  43. ↑ Shapiro, Mark (January 25, 2001). "Chicagoan Buys Grizzlies, Says They'll Stay in Vancouver". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  44. 1 2 Shaikin, Bill (March 1, 2001). "Owner of Grizzlies Tours Las Vegas". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  45. ↑ "NBA Approves Grizzlies' Move". Los Angeles Times . Associated Press. July 4, 2001. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Grizzlies Have Permission to Explore Move". ABC News . February 12, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  47. 1 2 3 "Cities Charm NBA's Grizzlies". Los Angeles Times . February 2001. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  48. ↑ Shaikin, Bill (February 13, 2001). "Anaheim Interested in Landing Grizzlies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  49. ↑ "Buffalo joins cities trying to lure Grizzlies out of Vancouver". CTV Television Network . February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Stakes Raised in Grizzlies Bidding War". WLKY . March 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  51. ↑ Shaikin, Bill (March 24, 2001). "Anaheim, Pond Still Not Ready to Concede Defeat". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  52. ↑ "Memphis Grizzlies? It's looking that way". Deseret News . Associated Press. March 26, 2001. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  53. ↑ "Grizzlies Officially Moving to Memphis". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 3, 2001. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  54. ↑ Baird, Woody (July 4, 2001). "NBA officially OKs team transfer to Memphis". Deseret News . Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  55. ↑ "Brian Winters Coaching Record". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  56. ↑ "Stu Jackson Coaching Record". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  57. ↑ "Brian Hill Coaching Record". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  58. ↑ "Lionel Hollins Coaching Record". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  59. ↑ "Sidney Lowe Coaching Record". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  60. ↑ Isaiah De Los Santos, "‘Finding Big Country’: A story of basketball, fandom and heroes". Slam , January 10, 2019.
  61. ↑ Rob Williams, "Stu Jackson speaks about Vancouver Grizzlies in new documentary". Daily Hive , September 9, 2022.
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