100 Fun Facts About Memphis Grizzlies

What is the name of the Grizzlies' home arena in Memphis, opened in 2004?

FedExForum opened in downtown Memphis in September 2004 and seats roughly 18,000 for basketball; it also hosts the University of Memphis Tigers.

Which name was first proposed for the Vancouver NBA franchise before objections forced a change?

The club was first announced as the Vancouver Mounties, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police objected to the use of its nickname, so the owners switched to Grizzlies before the 1995 debut.

Which centre, nicknamed 'Big Country', was the Grizzlies' first-ever draft pick in 1995?

Bryant Reeves, the Oklahoma State centre, went sixth overall in 1995 as Vancouver's first draft pick and spent his entire six-season NBA career with the Grizzlies.

How many straight games did the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies lose, then an NBA record?

They had won their first two games ever, then lost 19 in a row before the later 23-game skid.

Which 1999 draftee refused to play in Vancouver and was traded to Houston in an 11-player deal?

Steve Francis, picked by Vancouver in 1999, refused to report and was sent to Houston in an 11-player, three-team trade that August; he shared Rookie of the Year honours in 2000.

What were the Vancouver Grizzlies' original team colours?

Vancouver's original colours were turquoise, bronze and red with black trim; Memphis revived the turquoise throwback uniform for the franchise's 25th-anniversary season in 2019–20.

Which Chicago businessman bought the Grizzlies for $160 million and moved them to Memphis?

Michael Heisley, a Chicago industrialist, bought the Grizzlies in 2000 for about $160 million after initially pledging to keep them in Vancouver; he chose Memphis over Anaheim and Louisville.

In which year did the Grizzlies relocate from Vancouver to Memphis?

The Grizzlies relocated in 2001 after six losing seasons in Vancouver, playing their first Memphis game that November; the move made Memphis the easternmost city in the Western Conference.

Why did the franchise keep 'Grizzlies' after relocating to Tennessee?

The original Memphis Grizzlies played in the World Football League in 1974–75.

Where did the Grizzlies play their first three seasons in Memphis?

The Pyramid on the Mississippi riverfront later became a Bass Pro Shops megastore.

Who won Rookie of the Year in the Grizzlies' first season in Memphis?

Pau Gasol, whose draft rights Memphis acquired from Atlanta, averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in his debut season and was named Rookie of the Year.

Which Hall of Fame Laker became the Grizzlies' GM in 2002 and won Executive of the Year two years later?

Jerry West, the Lakers legend, ran the Grizzlies' front office from 2002 to 2007 and was voted 2004 Executive of the Year after the franchise's first playoff season.

The Grizzlies' 2003 first-round pick, worth Anthony, Bosh or Wade, had been traded in 1997 for which player?

Thorpe played only 47 games for Vancouver; Detroit used the pick on Darko Miličić.

Who won 2004 Coach of the Year after leading the Grizzlies to their first playoff berth and 50 wins?

Hubie Brown, hired in November 2002 at age 69, led the 2003–04 Grizzlies to the first winning record and playoff berth in franchise history and was voted Coach of the Year.

How many straight playoff games did the Grizzlies lose across their first three postseasons?

Memphis lost all 12 games of its first three playoff series, swept in 2004, 2005 and 2006, before finally winning a postseason game in 2011.

Which player did the Grizzlies get from Houston in the 2006 trade that sent Shane Battier away?

Gay was flipped to Toronto in a 2013 three-team deal that brought Tayshaun Prince.

With which pick did the Grizzlies select Mike Conley Jr. in the 2007 draft?

They had the best lottery odds after a 22–60 season but dropped to fourth.

The 2008 Pau Gasol trade gave the Grizzlies the draft rights to which future All-Star?

Marc became Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and a three-time All-Star in Memphis.

Which centre did the Grizzlies draft right after Blake Griffin in 2009, later trading him for Shane Battier?

Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 Connecticut centre picked right behind Griffin in 2009, was demoted to the D-League in his rookie year and sent to Houston for Shane Battier in February 2011.

Which superstar guard signed with the Grizzlies in 2009 but left after three games for 'personal problems'?

Allen Iverson signed a one-year deal in September 2009, played three road games off the bench, left citing personal reasons and was waived that November.

What nickname described the Grizzlies' defence-first, paint-heavy style of the 2010s?

'Grit and Grind' was coined by a Grizzlies guard in a February 2011 post-game interview after a win over Oklahoma City, and it became the identity of the bruising, defence-first teams of the decade.

Which top seed did the eighth-seed Grizzlies upset in six games in 2011?

The Grizzlies beat the 61-win San Antonio Spurs in six games in 2011, only the second time an eighth seed had won a best-of-seven series against a top seed.

Which young technology billionaire bought the Grizzlies for about $350 million in 2012?

Robert Pera, then 34, bought the Grizzlies in late 2012 for about $350 million and brought ESPN analytics writer John Hollinger into the front office as vice-president of basketball operations.

What was the Grizzlies' record in 2012–13, their first conference finals season?

Memphis went 56–26 in 2012–13, a franchise best at the time, then won two playoff rounds to reach its first Western Conference finals, where it was swept in four games.

Zach Randolph was suspended for Game 7 of the 2014 first round for punching which Thunder centre?

Steven Adams took the punch in Game 6 of the 2014 first round against Oklahoma City, earning the suspension for Game 7; Games 2 to 5 of that series all went to overtime, an NBA record.

Which two departures in the summer of 2017 closed the door on the franchise's defence-first era?

Randolph signed with Sacramento and Allen with New Orleans; both later had numbers retired.

What was the final score of the Grizzlies' blowout loss at Charlotte on 22 March 2018?

Charlotte's 140–79 win on 22 March 2018 handed the Grizzlies a 61-point loss, the widest margin of defeat in franchise history to that point, during a 22–60 season.

To which team was the Grizzlies' Defensive Player of the Year centre traded in February 2019?

He won a title with Toronto that June; Mike Conley was dealt to Utah that summer.

Where in the 2019 draft did the Grizzlies select Ja Morant?

Ja Morant went 2nd overall in 2019, behind Zion Williamson, and won Rookie of the Year with 99 of 100 first-place votes.

Who was named the Grizzlies' head coach in June 2019?

Taylor Jenkins, a Milwaukee assistant under Mike Budenholzer, was hired in June 2019 at age 34 and coached the Grizzlies until his dismissal in March 2025.

Which two teams did the Grizzlies beat in the 2021 play-in to reach the playoffs as the eighth seed?

Memphis beat the San Antonio Spurs 100–96 and then the Golden State Warriors 117–112 in overtime in the May 2021 play-in, earning the eighth seed.

In which season did the Grizzlies win their first-ever division title?

Memphis won the Southwest Division in 2021–22, the first division crown in franchise history, and entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's second seed.

Which Grizzlies big man was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2022–23?

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the NBA with 3.0 blocks per game in 2022–23 and won Defensive Player of the Year, the first Grizzly to take the award since 2013.

For how many games was Ja Morant suspended at the start of the 2023–24 season?

Morant served a 25-game suspension for a second gun-brandishing video, returned on 19 December 2023 with a buzzer-beater at New Orleans, then played only nine games before a season-ending shoulder injury.

What is the name of the Grizzlies' mascot, first introduced in Vancouver in 1995?

He was named NBA Mascot of the Year in 2011.

What is the name of the gold rally cloths handed out at every Grizzlies home playoff game?

Growl Towels, gold rally towels waved by the home crowd, have been handed out at Grizzlies playoff games since the franchise's first postseason appearance in 2004.

Which Memphis rapper's 'Hustle & Flow' song became a Grizzlies staple after a 2013 fan chant?

Al Kapone wrote 'Whoop That Trick' for the 2005 film 'Hustle & Flow'; Grizzlies fans turned it into a chant during the 2013 playoffs and it became an arena staple.

The Grizzlies' first Nike 'City' uniform used lettering from protest banners of which 1968 event?

The 2017–18 City uniform borrowed the stark block lettering of the 'I Am a Man' placards carried by striking workers during the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike.

The Grizzlies' 2020–21 black, gold and turquoise 'City' uniform honoured which Memphis musical institution?

The 2020–21 City uniform saluted Isaac Hayes and Stax Records, the Memphis soul label whose star recorded 'Theme from Shaft', winner of the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Which final name of Memphis's ABA team inspired the Grizzlies' 2024–25 City uniform?

The Memphis Sounds name was used for the ABA club's last season, 1974–75, after spells as the Pros and the Tams; the 2024–25 City uniform revived the Sounds look.

Which Memphis thoroughfare lends its name to a shade of blue in the Grizzlies' 2004 colour scheme?

'Beale Street Blue', named for the city's historic blues-club street, joined Memphis Midnight Blue, Smoke Blue and Grizzlies Gold in the 2004 palette adopted for the move to the new downtown arena.

Which team became the Grizzlies' fiercest rival after first-round series in 2012 and 2013?

The Los Angeles Clippers beat Memphis in seven games in 2012, then lost to the Grizzlies in six in 2013, a pair of bad-tempered series that fixed the rivalry.

How many players did the Grizzlies use in the 2015–16 season, an NBA record at the time?

Injuries and ten-day contracts pushed the 2015–16 Grizzlies to use 28 players, then an NBA single-season record, which the injury-hit 2023–24 Grizzlies later broke.

Which player, drafted 30th overall in 2020, made the All-Rookie team for Memphis?

Desmond Bane, taken 30th out of TCU in 2020 via a draft-night trade from Boston, shot 43 per cent from three as a rookie and made the All-Rookie Second Team.

Which forward set the Vancouver franchise scoring record of 18.7 points per game as a rookie in 1996–97?

Shareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.7 points as a rookie in 1996–97, led Vancouver in scoring in each of his five seasons there, and was dealt to Atlanta on draft night for the third overall pick.

Which former Knicks coach was the Vancouver Grizzlies' first general manager?

Stu Jackson, who had coached the Knicks in 1989–90, was hired as Vancouver's first general manager in 1994 and coached the rest of 1996–97 himself after firing Brian Winters midway through the season.

Which Vancouver Canucks owner led the drive to bring the NBA to Vancouver in the early 1990s?

Arthur Griffiths, who owned the Canucks and was building their new arena, won the NBA expansion franchise in 1994 and later ceded control of both teams to John McCaw Jr.

Who was the last active NBA player to have played for the Vancouver Grizzlies?

Mike Bibby, drafted by Vancouver in 1998, played his final NBA season with the Knicks in 2011–12, outlasting every other former Vancouver Grizzly.

Which Vancouver filmmaker made 'Finding Big Country' and 'The Grizzlie Truth' about the team?

Kathleen Jayme, a Vancouver documentary-maker, followed 'Finding Big Country' (2018) with 'The Grizzlie Truth' (2022), which investigated why the NBA left her hometown.

In which Canadian province did the Grizzlies play before moving to Memphis?

The Grizzlies began as the Vancouver Grizzlies in British Columbia, joining the NBA for the 1995–96 season and playing six seasons in Canada before moving to Memphis.

Which college program did Ja Morant star for before the Grizzlies drafted him?

Ja Morant played two seasons at Murray State in Kentucky, averaging 24.5 points and 10.0 assists as a sophomore in 2018–19 and earning consensus first-team All-America honours.

What award did Ja Morant win at the end of the 2021-22 season, alongside his first All-Star start?

Ja Morant won the 2022 Most Improved Player award after lifting his scoring from 19.1 to 27.4 points per game, and he started the All-Star Game that February.

How much did the Grizzlies' Memphis arena cost to build before its September 2004 opening?

The arena cost about US$250 million, financed largely with public bonds, and opened in September 2004 with the Grizzlies and the University of Memphis men's team as tenants.

Where in Memphis did Marc Gasol play high school basketball after his family moved to Tennessee?

Marc Gasol played two seasons at Lausanne Collegiate School, a private school in east Memphis, before returning to Spain to join FC Barcelona.

With which pick was Marc Gasol selected in the 2007 NBA draft?

Marc Gasol went 48th overall in 2007, a second-round pick, while playing in Spain; he did not reach the NBA until 2008–09, when he made the All-Rookie Second Team.

Whom did Marc Gasol pass in November 2018 to become the Grizzlies' all-time rebound leader?

Zach Randolph had pulled down 5,612 rebounds as a Grizzly; Marc Gasol passed him in November 2018, three months before being traded away.

How many season tickets did the Vancouver franchise need to sell by 1 January 1995 to start play?

The NBA set a 12,500 season-ticket target as a condition of the expansion grant, the same figure imposed on Toronto, and Vancouver cleared it with a late corporate push.

Who took over as Grizzlies head coach in December 2004 after the incumbent abruptly resigned?

Mike Fratello, then a TNT analyst, was hired in December 2004 and steered the Grizzlies to 45 wins and their second straight playoff berth.

Who became the Grizzlies' general manager in June 2007 after his predecessor retired?

Chris Wallace, previously the Celtics' general manager, was hired in June 2007 after the Grizzlies' league-worst 22–60 season and ran the front office until 2019.

What honour did the Grizzlies' costumed bear mascot receive in 2011?

The Grizzlies' bear mascot was named NBA Mascot of the Year in 2011, recognised for his acrobatic trampoline dunks and crowd skits at home games.

Which Finnish coach was named the Grizzlies' head coach in May 2025?

Tuomas Iisalo, who had coached Paris Basketball to the 2024 EuroCup title, joined the Grizzlies as an assistant in 2024, became interim coach in March 2025 and was given the job permanently that May.

Which jersey number was the first the Grizzlies ever retired, in December 2021?

Number 50, worn by the Grizzlies' burly power forward from 2009 to 2017, was retired on 11 December 2021, the first jersey number the franchise had retired.

How many points did Ja Morant score against San Antonio in late February 2022?

Morant's 52 points against San Antonio in late February 2022, on 22-of-30 shooting, broke the franchise record of 46 he had set two days earlier against Chicago.

Which top-seeded team beat the Grizzlies in five games in the 2021 first round?

The top-seeded Utah Jazz won in five after Memphis stole Game 1 in Salt Lake City 112–109; Ja Morant scored 47 points in the Game 2 loss.

Which seventh seed knocked the second-seeded Grizzlies out of the 2023 playoffs?

The Los Angeles Lakers, seeded seventh after the play-in, won the 2023 first-round series in six games; Dillon Brooks was ejected from Game 3 for a blow to LeBron James.

Which 2024 ninth overall pick fouled out of his NBA debut in just 15 minutes?

Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 Purdue centre taken ninth in 2024, picked up his sixth foul after roughly 15 minutes of his October 2024 debut, yet finished the season on the All-Rookie First Team.

Who gave Memphis four unprotected first-round picks for a shooting guard in June 2025?

The Orlando Magic sent four unprotected first-round picks, a 2029 swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony to Memphis for its starting shooting guard in June 2025.

What nickname does the Grizzlies' 2023 Defensive Player of the Year go by?

'The Block Panther' nickname, a play on the Marvel hero, stuck after the Grizzlies' big man led the NBA in blocks per game two seasons running, in 2022 and 2023.

Which former MVP signed with the Grizzlies in the 2023 off-season?

Derrick Rose, the 2011 MVP with Chicago, signed a two-year deal in July 2023 but played only 24 games in an injury-wrecked season in which Memphis finished 27–55.

What name did GM Place, the Grizzlies' home for all six Vancouver seasons, take in 2010?

GM Place became Rogers Arena in July 2010 when Rogers Communications bought the naming rights; during the 2010 Winter Olympics it was temporarily called Canada Hockey Place.

Which 2014 signing passed Charles Barkley on the NBA career scoring list as a Grizzly?

Vince Carter signed with Memphis in July 2014 at age 37 and spent three seasons as a reserve, climbing past Charles Barkley on the all-time scoring list while there.

The Grizzlies' black sleeved uniform of 2017 paid tribute to whom?

The black sleeved uniform worn in January 2017 honoured Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in April 1968, the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Which team sent point guard Jason Williams to the Grizzlies in 2001?

The Sacramento Kings sent Jason Williams to the Grizzlies that June in a swap of starting point guards; 'White Chocolate' then ran the point through the franchise's first two playoff trips.

Which Grizzlies sharpshooter won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for 2005–06?

Mike Miller won 2005–06 Sixth Man of the Year averaging 13.7 points off the bench; the next season he scored a then-franchise-record 45 points in a game.

Which 2008 third overall pick came to Memphis on draft night in a deal for Kevin Love?

O. J. Mayo, taken third by Minnesota and swapped for Kevin Love on draft night 2008, averaged 18.5 points as a rookie and finished runner-up for Rookie of the Year.

Who coached the Grizzlies in three separate stints, the last ending in 2013?

Lionel Hollins first took charge as Vancouver's interim coach in 1999–2000, filled in again for four games in 2004, then led the Grizzlies from 2009 until his contract lapsed in 2013.

Which Grizzlies coach, hired in 2013, had won five minor-league titles before the NBA?

Dave Joerger won five minor-league championships coaching the Dakota Wizards and Sioux Falls Skyforce, joined Memphis as an assistant in 2007 and was promoted to head coach in June 2013.

Which coach was fired in November 2017 soon after a publicised benching of his centre?

David Fizdale, who had reached the playoffs in his first season, was fired on 27 November 2017, days after benching his star centre for an entire final quarter; J.B. Bickerstaff took over as interim.

Which Grizzlies executive won the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2022?

Zach Kleiman, who took charge of basketball operations in April 2019 at age 30, was voted 2022 Executive of the Year after the Grizzlies finished second in the Western Conference that season.

Which networking company did the technology billionaire who bought the Grizzlies in 2012 found in 2005?

Ubiquiti Networks, founded in 2005 by a former Apple engineer who left to build long-range Wi-Fi gear, went public in 2011 and made its founder a billionaire by his early thirties.

Which NBA honour did Mike Conley first win as a Grizzly in 2014?

Mike Conley won the Sportsmanship Award for 2013–14, the first of three he collected in Memphis before adding one more in 2021 with his next team.

Against whom did Ja Morant post the Grizzlies' first playoff triple-double, in 2022?

Morant recorded the first playoff triple-double in franchise history against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 first round, then won Game 5 with a layup with one second left; Memphis took the series in six.

Which team eliminated the Grizzlies in the 2020 bubble play-in game?

The Portland Trail Blazers beat Memphis 126–122 in the 2020 bubble play-in on 15 August; as the ninth seed the Grizzlies needed two wins, so a single loss ended their season.

Where did the Grizzlies' G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, begin play in 2017?

The Memphis Hustle began play in 2017 at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, roughly fifteen miles south of downtown Memphis across the state line.

What expansion fee did the Vancouver franchise pay to join the NBA?

Vancouver paid a US$125 million expansion fee, the same as Toronto, nearly four times the $32.5 million charged to the four teams added in 1988 and 1989.

Where did Bill Laurie intend to move the Grizzlies after his blocked 1999 purchase?

Bill Laurie, owner of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, agreed to buy the Grizzlies in 1999 for about US$200 million and planned to move them to St. Louis, but withdrew when the NBA insisted the team stay in Vancouver.

What online milestone did the Vancouver Grizzlies reach in 1995?

Chief information officer Bob Kerstein built it; Josh Davis designed the team's original logo the same year.

Who was the last former Vancouver Grizzly on the Memphis roster, traded away in February 2008?

Stromile Swift, Vancouver's 2000 draft pick, spent a season in Houston before returning in the 2006 Battier trade; Memphis dealt him to New Jersey for Jason Collins in February 2008.

On which holiday in 2004 did the Grizzlies' Coach of the Year abruptly resign?

The resignation came on Thanksgiving Day 2004, with the coach citing health concerns barely seven months after collecting his Coach of the Year award.

How much was the five-year Grizzlies contract Mike Conley signed in July 2016?

Conley's five-year, $153 million deal in July 2016 was the largest contract by total value in NBA history at the time, signed by a player who had never been an All-Star.

Which Trail Blazer's collision fractured Mike Conley's face during the 2015 playoffs?

Conley fractured his face in a Game 3 collision with CJ McCollum at Portland in the 2015 first round, had surgery, and returned wearing a protective mask for the next series.

How much did the title sponsor pay for naming rights to the Grizzlies' Memphis arena?

The naming-rights deal was worth $92 million, paid by the Memphis-based shipping company whose name the arena carries, and was signed ahead of the building's 2004 opening.

What innovation debuted at the Grizzlies' arena in 2004 for fans seated behind the basket?

Transparent shot clocks, letting fans behind the basket see the play through them, were first used in the Grizzlies' new arena in 2004; the NBA later required them in every arena.

Which injured star did a Grizzlies forward replace on the 2000 US Olympic team?

Grant Hill withdrew with the ankle injury that would plague his career, and Vancouver's leading scorer took his place on the gold-medal-winning Sydney team.

Which retailer bought 2,500 season tickets in 1994 to push Vancouver past its NBA quota?

Only about 10,000 had been sold ten days before the deadline; Toronto needed a similar rescue.

Who was the first player ever signed by the Vancouver Grizzlies, in 1995?

He was released before playing a game and went on to become general manager of the Trail Blazers and Pacers.

Who became interim Grizzlies coach in 2006 despite never having coached an NBA game?

Tony Barone Sr., the Grizzlies' director of player personnel and a former Creighton and Texas A&M head coach, took over in December 2006 in his first NBA coaching job, and the team finished a league-worst 22–60.

The Grizzlies' 2022 Executive of the Year joined the franchise in 2015 in which role?

The executive joined in 2015 as team counsel, a legal role he took after Duke Law and a spell at a large law firm, and was running basketball operations within four years.

Which architecture firm designed the Grizzlies' downtown arena that opened in 2004?

Ellerbe Becket, the Minneapolis-based firm behind several NBA arenas, designed the building with local partner Looney Ricks Kiss; it opened in September 2004 with about 18,000 basketball seats.

What yearly donation settled the Vancouver franchise's provincial sports-betting dispute?

The NBA wanted its games pulled from British Columbia's Sports Action lottery, whose profits funded health care.