Memphis Grizzlies

1995-2001: Vancouver Grizzlies

Team Creation

Emblem "Vancouver Grizzlies"

Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors join the NBA before the 1995/96 season . They became the first clubs from Canada to play in the NBA, although in the 1946/1947 season at the Basketball Association of America (BAA), one of the two leagues that formed the NBA in 1949 was the Toronto Haskis team. On April 27, 1994, the NBA Governing Council officially announced the adoption of the new club from Vancouver to the association by the 29th team. This news shocked the sports community of Vancouver, since no one expected a new team to be created in their city. The last time an attempt to expand the league to the north was made back in the 1980s. The owner of the new club was Arthur Griffiths . At that time, Griffiths also owned the Vancouver Canucks from the National Hockey League , and he had plans to build a new sports arena for the 1995/96 season ^[1] .

Initially, the name “Vancouver Mounts” was planned for the Grizzlies, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police objected to using its nickname in the club’s name ^[2] . After that, it was decided to use the name "Grizzlies" in honor of grizzly bears , for whom British Columbia is one of the main habitats. The Grizzlies home arena was the General Motors Place Stadium, which also featured the NHL Vancouver Canucks team ^[3] .

Early years

On June 19, 1995, the club management announced the name of the first head coach of the team. It was 43-year-old Brian Winters , who worked as an assistant to Lenny Wilkens for the past 9 seasons (2 years at Atlanta Hawks and 7 years at Cleveland Cavaliers ). On June 24, 1995, an expansion draft was held in which the Grizzlies selected 13 players from other league teams. After losing the coin drop, the Grizzlies expansion pick was the second after the Raptors in the draft pick, and during the main draft the team from Vancouver used to choose the Raptors. During the main draft of 1995, the Grizzlies and the Raptors made it possible to select the 6th and 7th numbers, respectively ^[4] . Such late numbers are explained by the fact that, according to the expansion agreement, the teams renounced the right to the first draft numbers until 1999 ^[5] . Center pick Brian Reeves from the University of Oklahoma ^[6] became the team’s first draft pick.

The team started in the debut season with two consecutive victories. In the first game, the Grizzlies beat Portland Trail Blazers away, and on November 5 they beat Minnesota Timberwolves with a score of 100-98 on their home court. However, after such a successful start, they lost 19 games in a row. From February to April, the team lost another 23 games in a row, setting a league anti-record. They finished the season with a result of 15-67, becoming the worst in the championship ^[7] . During the 1996 draft, Sharif Abdur-Rahim was chosen to the club under the 3rd number. However, despite the good game of Abdur-Rahim, who scored an average of 18.7 points per game, the team finished the 1996/97 season again with the worst result in the league 14-68 ^[7] . As a result of the 1997 draft pick, the Grizzlies received the 4th number and chose Antonio Daniels . The first draft number was selected center Tim Duncan . Before the start of the season, management appointed Brian Hill ^[8] as head coach. Under his leadership, the team managed to take 6th place in the division with a result of 19-63. Team leader Abdur-Rahim scored 22.3 points per game, Brian Reeves also improved his game, gaining 16.3 points per game and making 7.3 rebounds ^[7] . In the 1998 draft, the Grizzlies chose Mike Bibby at number 2. In the shortened due to the lockout season, the Grizzlies won only 8 times. Abdur-Rahim continued to improve his performance, gaining 23 points and making 7.3 rebounds per game. Due to a knee injury, Reeves was forced to miss half the season. Bibby's rookie team was selected to the NBA rookie team ^[7] . In the 1999 draft, the Grizzlies chose Steve Francis at number 2, Francis publicly stated that he did not want to play for the Grizzlies, explaining this by the great distance from his home in Maryland , taxes and the "will of God." He was heavily criticized, especially in Vancouver, and Francis was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets in a mega deal involving 3 teams and 11 players ^{[9] [10]} . The Grizzlies season ended with a score of 22-60 and again became the worst team in the championship, and Francis in Houston became the rookie of the year ^[7] . The team finished the 2000/01 season with a score of 23-59. The last home game at the General Motors Place arena took place on April 14, 2001. The Grizzlies met the Houston Rockets and lost with a score of 100-95, the Houston player Francis was booed by the Grizzlies fans. The team played their last game of the season away against the Golden State Warriors , in which they won 95–81 ^[7] .

Moving to Memphis

After a lockout in the NBA, attendance at the Grizzlies games fell dramatically due to which the team's owner, Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, began to lose money. The NBA rejected the offer to sell the club to Bill Laurie , the owner of the St. Louis Blues from the NHL , who openly announced his desire to move the team to St. Louis , Missouri . In 2000, the Grizzlies bought Michael Haysley , promising to leave her in Vancouver. However, attendance at Grizzlies home games continued to decline ^[11] . After 6 unsuccessful seasons in the NBA, Michael Hesley decided to move the team. Bad seasons, bad morale, diminishing fan support drove the Grizzlies into debt. On February 19, Hesley traveled to Memphis to negotiate with the city’s leadership about the possibility of relocation ^[7] .

March 26, 2001, the NBA leadership received two statements from the Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets with a request to allow the move to Memphis. The Grizzlies request was granted ^[12] . Memphis largest company FedEx has announced its desire to buy rights to the name of the club. The company wanted the Grizzlies to change their name to Memphis Express, but the NBA refused to rename it, saying that it would not allow teams to take corporate names ^[13] . Although the Charlotte Hornets were denied relocation to Memphis, she moved to New Orleans before the 2002/03 season ^[14] . Grizzlies did not become the first professional basketball team in the city. Before that, from 1971 to 1975, Memphis Sounds from the American Basketball Association played in the city, which later moved to Baltimore and subsequently went bankrupt ^[7] .

2001-present Time: Memphis Grizzlies

During the 2001 draft , Atlanta Hawks selected Pau Gasol ^[15] under the third number and traded it to the Grizzlies for Sharif Abdur-Rahim ^[16] . In the draft, the Grizzlies chose No. 6 Shane Battye , who quickly became one of the most beloved players among the fans. The Grizzlies lost their first match in the new Pyramid Arena arena to the Detroit Pistons with a score of 90-80. The team finished the season in last place in the conference with a score of 23-59. Despite such an unsuccessful season, the newcomer to the team, Pau Gasol, fit in well with the team, gaining an average of 17.6 points per game, but also performed well, gaining more than 14 points per game ^[17] . In the 2001/02 season , Pau Gasol became the Rookie of the Year ^[18] . Despite the good picks during the draft, general manager Bill Knight was fired at the end of the season. In 2002, former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West was hired in his place ^[17] .

The 2002/03 season, the team started with a score of 0-8, as a result of which, head coach Sidney Love left his post, and Hubi Brown was hired in his place ^[19] . After the arrival of a new coach, the team lost another 5 games in a row until they broke off the losing streak, defeating the Washington Wizards 85-74. The Grizzlies season ended with a record record for itself of 28-54 ^[17] .

2003-2006: Playoffs

The 2003/04 season , the Grizzlies started with a score of 9-8 and improved their performance every month. So, in January, the team won 10 of 14 games, and in March - 13 of 15. In the 2003/04 season, the Grizzlies took 6th place in the Western Conference with a score of 50-32 and reached the playoffs for the first time in their history. For such a successful game, 70-year-old coach Hubi Brown was named Coach of the Year ^[20] . In the playoffs, the team met with San Antonio Spurs , where they lost 4 games in a row. Team General Manager Jerry West was named Manager of the Year ^[17] .

In the 2004/05 season, the Grizzlies moved to their new home arena, FedExForum , but the season started poorly, winning 5 games out of 12. On November 25, 2004, 71-year-old head coach Hubi Brown resigned, citing health problems ^[21] . His position was temporarily taken by Lionel Hollins . In December, Mike Fratello, one of the most successful coaches in the NBA, was hired as a permanent head coach. With the help of Fratello, the team managed to cross the threshold of 50% of victories and reach the playoffs for the second season in a row. In the playoffs, the Grizzlies lost 4-0 to the conference winner based on the results of the Phoenix Suns regular season. In the offseason, the team had an active personnel policy. The team sold Bonzie Wells , Jason Williams , Stromile Swift and James Posey , and acquired Damon Stademire , Bobby Jackson , Hakim Warrick and Eddie Jones ^[17] .

The 2005/06 season has become one of the most successful in the history of Grizzlies. The team won 49 victories in a season (one less victory than in the record season 2003/04) and took 5th place in the conference (team record). At the end of the season, Pau Gasol was selected to participate in the all-star match , and Mike Miller ^[22] became the best sixth NBA player , who scored 13.7 points on average for the game and made 138 exact three-point shots for the entire regular season. In the playoffs, the team met with the Dallas Mavericks . The Grizzlies lost again 4-0. Thus, the Grizzlies set a record for the longest streak of losses in playoff games - 12 games. For three consecutive years, the Grizzlies did not win a single game in the playoffs ^[17] .

2006-2009: A New Series of Failures

After the 2006 draft , Jerry West traded Shane Battye at the Houston Rockets , for their choice of the first round of draft pick Rudy Gay . The team started the season without one of its leaders. In the offseason, during the World Basketball Championship , Pau Gasol, who played for his national team, broke his leg and was forced to miss the first 22 games. The team started the season weakly, winning 5 games and losing 17. Gasol’s partial recovery did not help Grizzlies, who lost 7 more times in 8 games. As a result, head coach Fratello was fired ^[23] , and Tony Barone ^[24] took his place. Prior to this, Barone had never coached teams in the NBA. However, coaching university teams, he three times became the coach of the year ^[25] . The Grizzlies season ended with the worst league score of 22-60. After such an unsuccessful season, Jerry West resigned. Club management also hired a new head coach. It was Mark Aivaroni , a former assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns ^[26] . Despite the fact that the Grizzlies became the worst team of the season and had the best chance of getting the first pick in the draft, in the 2007 draft, the Grizzlies were chosen fourth. The team selected Mike Conley, Jr. , a defender from Ohio. ^[17]

On June 18, 2007, the Grizzlies announced that Chris Wallace, the former general manager of the Boston Celtics , was the new general manager and vice president of basketball operations ^[27] . A few days later, Grizzlies hired Johnny Davis and David Jorger as deputy head coach. On August 16, 2007, Memphis basketball legend Gene Bartov became president of the basketball operations team ^[28] . The 2007/08 season , the Grizzlies began as badly as they did last year. In an attempt to rectify the situation, the leadership of the team decided to sell Pau Gasol. On February 1, 2008, Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Kwama Brown , Yavaris Critenton , Aaron Mackey , the right to Mark Gasol (Pau's younger brother) and the right to choose drafts in the first round of 2008 and 2010 ^{[29] [30]} . However, the situation only got worse. In February, the Grizzlies won only 1 game, and the season ended with a score of 22-60 ^[17] .

In February 2008, Houston Rockets entered into a contract with the Grizzlies whereby Steve Francis transfers to the Grizzlies. 10 years ago, Francis refused to play for the Vancouver Grizzlies, so the fans spoke out negatively about the appearance of Francis in the team. A week after the purchase, general manager Chris Wallace announced that the club was going to redeem his contract ^[31] . As a result, Francis never appeared in the Grizzlies games and was forced to leave the NBA ^[32] .

At the beginning of the 2008/09 season , the Grizzlies lost 14 of 18 games, and by the new year their statistics were 10-22. After the team lost another 12 games in a row, the club management fired head coach Mark Ivaroni on January 22, 2009, and Johnny Davis temporarily took his place, but the team continued to lose, and Lionel Hollins became head coach on January 25 ^[33] . Having lost 4 more games, the Grizzlies finished their losing streak with a victory over the Washington Wizards 113-97. The Bears season ended with a score of 24-58 ^[17] .

2009-present Time: The Era of Rudi Gaea and Zach Randolph

On June 25, 2009, the team selected Hashim Tabith of the University of Connecticut , who became the first Tanzanian player in NBA history, as the second draft pick. ^[34] Grizzlies signed a two-year contract with him for $ 7.7 million. Demarre Carroll of the University of Missouri at number 27 was also selected in the draft. ^[35]

September 9, 2009 Grizzlies signed a contract with Allen Iverson for a period of one year for $ 3.5 million. Iverson was the subject of much controversy over the previous season in Detroit , but in an interview, Iverson said that God chose Memphis to continue his career in it. However, Iverson played only 3 games in the team (all away), after which he left the team due to “personal problems”. On November 16, the Grizzlies announced that they had severed the contract by mutual agreement with Iverson ^[36] . For almost the entire season, the team struggled to get into the playoffs, however, the season ended in 10th place in the conference with a score of 40-42 ^[37] .

The 2010/11 season was the club’s tenth season in Memphis. On this occasion, special inscriptions were applied on the floor of the home arena. In the season, the team won 46 victories with 36 defeats and took 8th place in the Western Conference and got into the playoffs. On April 17, 2011, the Grizzlies won their first victory in the playoff games, beating 91–88 at the San Antonio Spurs away ^[38] . Already on April 29, the club celebrated its first winning streak in the playoffs, after defeating Spurs 99-91 in the 6th game and winning the streak with a score of 4-2. This victory was only the fourth in the history of the NBA, when the team that took 8th place in the regular season managed to beat the leader of the conference ^[39] . In the second round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies met with the Oklahoma City Thunder . In a series of 7 games, the winner was a team from Oklahoma City ^[40] . At the end of the season, the club entered into new agreements with leaders Mark Gasol and Hamed Haddadi ^[41] . Shane Battye became a free agent and moved to Miami Heat .

In the shortened 2011/12 season , the Grizzlies won 41 victories with 25 defeats and took 4th place in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, Memphis met with the Los Angeles Clippers . In a series of 7 games, the winner was a team from Los Angeles. In the off-season, the Grizzlies did not make a qualifying offer for OJ Mayo , which made him an unlimited free agent. May 19 Mayo signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks ^{[42] [43]} .

January 31, 2013 Rudy Gay and center Hamed Haddadi as a result of a transaction involving three teams moved to Toronto Raptors , Memphis Grizzlies received forwards Ed Davis , Teyson Prince and Austin Day and the right to choose in the second round of the draft, and in Detroit Pistons ”moved defender Jose Calderon ^[44] .

The first 6 seasons of the Grizzlies played home games at General Motors Place , Vancouver , Canada . On November 5, 1995, the team played their first home game in history, in which they beat Minnesota Timberwolves with a score of 100: 98. In its first season, the arena gathered more than 17,000 fans every game, however, the arena's attendance fell every year and by the 2000/01 season was less than 14,000 people ^[45] . In 2001, the club moved to Memphis. There was no modern arena in the city at that time, so the team had to play for three seasons at the Pyramid Arena venue. In June 2002, the construction of a new modern sports arena began in the city. FedEx immediately announced its desire to sponsor such a project. On September 6, 2004, the opening of a new Memphis arena took place, the name of which was bought by FedEx and called it the “ Fedex Forum ” ^[46] . The attendance of the Grizzlies games is one of the lowest in the championship. In different years, on average, from 13,500 to 16,500 people visit each game ^[47] .

Home Arenas:

• Vancouver
  • General Motors Place (1995-2001)
• Memphis
  • The Pyramid Arena (2001-2004)
  • Fedex Forum (2004 — present)

Emblem

On August 11, 1994, the club’s name was officially announced - Vancouver Grizzlies. The team logo was also presented at a ceremony at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver . She became the image of a fierce grizzly bear holding a basketball ball in its paw ^[48] . Above the grizzly bear was the inscription "Vancouver Grizzlies." An alternative emblem was the image of a clawed paw holding a basketball ^[49] .

After the team moved to Memphis in 2001, the inscription above the bear was changed to "Memphis Grizzlies." In the offseason of 2004, the Grizzlies planned to move to their new FedExForum home arena. On May 24, the team unveiled its new logo and uniform. Back in 2001, after moving to Memphis, the club management wanted to completely change the name, logo, colors of the team, but a survey of fans showed that most of them identify the team with the name “Grizzlies”. The emblem was changed to the image of the bear's face in blue tones, the inscription on the emblem changed. If earlier “Grizzlies” was written in capital letters, and the name of the city in small letters, then in the new emblem the name of the city was increased, and “Grizzlies” was reduced ^[50] . The alternative emblem also changed colors, changing the color of the paw to blue, and the color of the basketball from red to yellow ^[51] .

Form

In Vancouver, the team played home games in white T-shirts labeled “Vancouver Grizzlies”. The main emblem was depicted on the shorts. The away form was turquoise. In the 2000/01 seasons, the home form changed a bit, the inscription “Vancouver” was removed from the inscription, and turquoise stripes were added on the sides of the shirt. In the away form, the turquoise color was changed to black ^[49] .

After moving to Memphis, the T-shirt label was changed to Memphis. Before the 2004/05 season, the team completely changed the design of the form. In the home form, the colors of the inscriptions and side stripes were changed to blue and instead of “Memphis” the inscription “Grizzlies” appeared, and in the away form the black color was replaced with dark blue, and the inscriptions and numbers of the players turned light blue ^[51] .

Talisman

The team’s mascot is the grizzly bear Grizz. Grizzes appeared in 1995, and in 2001 moved to Memphis with the club - his tasks include entertaining fans at all Grizzlies home games. During the 2007/08 season, Eric McMahon, playing the talisman, was diagnosed with lymphogranulomatosis , which is why he missed almost the entire season ^[52] . During his absence, the talismans of other NBA teams and local teams came to the Grizzlies home games, at their own or at the expense of their club, to support McMahon ^[53] . During the debut match of the 2008/09 season, cheering fans welcomed the return of Grizz. To support Grizz and other cancer patients, Grizzlies organized the Friends of Grizz charity program, in which all the funds raised were sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ^[54] . In addition to matches in the NBA championship, Grizz represented the league in demonstrations in Indonesia ^[55] .

Despite the fact that hockey is the most favorite sport in Vancouver, the attendance of the Grizzlies games in the early years was 16,000-17,000 people ^[45] . The 1998 NBA lockout greatly reduced the popularity of basketball in Vancouver, which caused game attendance to drop to 13,000 and the club owner decided to move it to Memphis. Michael Heysley argued that the team had too little support for the fans, although support was more than adequate, given that the Grizzlies was one of the worst teams in NBA history ^[56] .

Since the creation of the team, the situation around it has been grim. The club constantly experienced problems with players, some of whom refused to come to Vancouver, others complained about the weather, taxes, the need to constantly go through Canadian customs. All this did not add popularity to the club. In the Grizzlies, in the first seasons there was not a single player from outside the United States, and over 6 seasons in Vancouver, not a single Canadian. Therefore, the team was unable to secure the support of any ethnic group in the city ^[56] . After moving to Memphis, neither the performance nor the popularity of the club increased, and 13,000–15,000 people attended home games ^[57] .

Community Programs

Grizzlies, together with One on One Basketball, supports basketball camps and clinics throughout the United States and beyond that are designed for children 7-14 years old. Grizzlies also support Jr. programs NBA / Jr. WNBA, in which NBA and ZNBA players and coaches help youth basketball organizations ^[58] . The team supports the Read to Achieve Program , the goal of which is to instill a love of reading for children ^[59] . In December 2001, the Grizzlies organized a charity foundation ^[60] . Every month, the club holds an auction, which sells various items autographed by players. Money from the auction goes to support House at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ^[61] .

The main sponsors of the team are companies: Toyota Motor , Harrah's Entertainment , PepsiCo , First Tennessee , International Paper , ServiceMaster , AutoZone ^[62] .

The Grizzlies home games are broadcast on Fox Sports South . Some games are also shown on SportSouth and local WMC-TV. By radio, games are broadcast on the Soul Classics 103.5 FM radio ^[63] .

Over the 23 seasons of its existence (until 2018), Memphis Grizzlies reached the NBA playoffs 10 times. The maximum achievement of the team reached the final of the conference in 2013. The best wins and losses for the team were 56-26 in the 2012/13 season, the worst result was 8-42 in the 1998/99 season.

• Memphis Grizzlies Official Website