The Vancouver Grizzlies moved in 2001 to become the Memphis Grizzlies, leaving the Toronto Raptors to be the only NBA team in Canada.

Vancouver Grizzlies

The Vancouver Grizzlies had a bad season record in their first year inspite of winning their first home game. In 1996, they drafted Shareef Abdur-Rahim but still fared badly. The next year they drafted Antonio Daniels and improved slightly that season. But in 1998, they were in last place again. As the team’s position did not change, the attendance at their games deteriorated and in 2000 the team was sold to Michael Heisley who moved the team in 2001.

The Grizzlies

In 2001, after the Grizzlies moved, they acquired Pau Gasol and Shane Battier who became fan favorites very soon. In 2002, Hubie Brown was hired as Head Coach and the next season, the team made the playoffs for the first time. Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year.

Brown resigned as coach in 2004 and the Grizzlies had a losing record again. They hired Mike Fratello and under him the team made the playoffs once again. They lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round itself. After a few disputes between Fratello and some players, the team roster went through several changes. They acquired Bobby Jackson, Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Jones and Hakim Warrick. With the new players, the Grizzlies made the playoffs again for the third year in a row. They were defeated yet again, this time by the Dallas Mavericks.

In 2006, the Grizzlies acquired Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift. Fratello was fired and Tony Barone Sr. was coach for an interim period. The current Head Coach is Marc Lavaroni.

The Grizzlies have played their home games in three arenas so far. Their first arena was the General Motors Place in Vancouver from 1995 to 2001. When they relocated, they played at the Pyramid Arena until 2004. They now play at the FedExForum. The owner of the team is Michael Heisley and they play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the NBA. They have yet to win a Championship but have great potential to do so in the future.

The Grizzlies have not retired any jersey numbers but have had several notable players in their team such as Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Bobby Jackson, Eddie Jones and Bonzi Wells. Their current team includes Pau Gasol who was drafted in the first year in Memphis. Other noteworthy players in the team are Mike Miller, Jason Williams, Bryant Reeves and Damon Stoudamire.