Vancouver Grizzlies facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vancouver Grizzlies |
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| Conference | Western | ||
| Division | Midwest | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| History | Vancouver Grizzlies 1995–2001 Memphis Grizzlies 2001–present |
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| Arena | General Motors Place | ||
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia | ||
| Team colors | Turquoise, bronze, red, black |
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| General manager | Stu Jackson (1994–2000) Billy Knight (2000–2001) |
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| Head coach | Brian Winters (1995–1997) Stu Jackson (1997) Brian Hill (1997–1999) Lionel Hollins (1999–2000) Sidney Lowe (2000–2001) |
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| Ownership | Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment (1995–2000) Michael Heisley (2000–2001) |
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| Championships | 0 | ||
| Conference titles | 0 | ||
| Division titles | 0 | ||
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The Vancouver Grizzlies were a professional basketball team from Canada. They played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Western Conference. The team started in 1995, at the same time as the Toronto Raptors. This was part of the NBA's plan to bring more teams to Canada.
The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena) in Vancouver, British Columbia. They played there for all six seasons they were in Vancouver. Like many new teams, the Grizzlies had a tough start. They often finished last in their division and never made it to the NBA playoffs. After the 2000–01 season, the team moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. They were then renamed the Memphis Grizzlies.
Contents
Team History
How the Grizzlies Started
Before the Grizzlies, the only other professional basketball team in Canada was the Toronto Huskies. They played just one season back in 1946–47. In the 1980s, people tried to bring an NBA team to Vancouver, but it didn't work out.
Then, in 1993, Arthur Griffiths, who owned the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, announced his plan. He wanted to bring an NBA team to Vancouver. Griffiths was building a new arena for the Canucks, which would also be perfect for a basketball team. The NBA decided to add two new teams in Canada for the 1995–96 season: the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies. Both teams paid a large fee to join the league.
One challenge was that the NBA wanted British Columbia to stop allowing bets on Grizzlies games. This was a big deal because the money from betting went to health care. After some discussion, the team agreed to donate money to health care each year, and the issue was solved.
The team hired Stu Jackson as their general manager. He was in charge of finding players and coaches. The team was first going to be called the Vancouver Mounties, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police didn't like that idea. So, on August 11, the team announced its new name: the Grizzlies, named after the bears found in British Columbia. Their team colors were turquoise, bronze, and red. The Vancouver Grizzlies were also the first NBA team to have their own website!
To make sure the team could play, they needed to sell a lot of season tickets. They had to sell 12,500 tickets before January 1, 1995. This was a high number, but they managed to reach it with help from a company that bought the remaining tickets.
In 1995, Brian Winters was named the head coach. The team then picked their first player, Kevin Pritchard.
Expansion Draft and First Players
The Grizzlies and Raptors took part in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft. In this draft, each existing NBA team could protect eight of their players. The new teams could then pick one unprotected player from each team. Vancouver got the sixth pick in the main NBA draft. They chose center Bryant Reeves. He was a good player, but he couldn't carry the team to many wins.
The NBA also made a rule that the two Canadian teams couldn't get a top-five draft pick for their first few seasons. This made it harder for them to get the very best young players.
Six Seasons in Vancouver
The Grizzlies' first official game was against the Portland Trail Blazers, which they won! They also won their next game. However, after that, they went on a long losing streak, losing 19 games in a row. They even set an NBA record for 23 straight losses that season. The team finished their first season with only 15 wins and 67 losses, which was the worst record in the league.
In the 1996 NBA draft, the Grizzlies picked Shareef Abdur-Rahim third overall. He quickly became the team's best scorer, averaging 18.7 points per game. He was even named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Despite his great play, the team still struggled. Coach Brian Winters was replaced by Stu Jackson during the 1996–97 season. That season, the Grizzlies won only 14 games, again the worst in the league.
For the 1997–98 season, Brian Hill became the new head coach. The team picked Antonio Daniels in the draft. They won 19 games that season, which was a small improvement.
Before the 1998–99 season, the Grizzlies picked Mike Bibby with the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Shareef Abdur-Rahim had his best season, scoring 23.0 points per game. This season was shorter because of an NBA lockout. Even though the team only won 8 games and lost 42, more people came to watch their games.
In the 1999 NBA draft, the Grizzlies again had the second pick. They chose Steve Francis. However, Francis did not want to play in Vancouver. He was later traded in a huge deal involving eleven players and three teams. The Grizzlies received players like Othella Harrington and Michael Dickerson. Francis went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award.
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During the 1999–2000 season, Lionel Hollins took over as coach. The team finished with 22 wins and 60 losses. Fewer fans came to games this season. Hollins later coached the team two more times after they moved to Memphis.
For their final season in Vancouver, the 2000–01 season, Sidney Lowe was hired as head coach. They picked Stromile Swift second in the 2000 NBA draft. The team had their best record in Vancouver, with 23 wins and 59 losses, but still finished last in their division. The Grizzlies' last home game in Vancouver was on April 14, 2001. Their very last game as the Vancouver Grizzlies was a win against the Golden State Warriors on April 18, 2001.
Moving to Memphis
Over time, the team started losing money. This was partly due to a weak Canadian dollar. In 1999, the team's owner, John McCaw, tried to sell the Grizzlies to Bill Laurie, who wanted to move the team to St. Louis. However, the NBA stopped this sale.
Instead, McCaw sold the team to Michael Heisley for $160 million. Heisley initially said he would keep the team in Vancouver, but he soon started looking for a new city in the U.S. Many cities were considered, including Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans.
On March 26, 2001, Memphis, Tennessee, was announced as the new home for the team. The NBA officially approved the move on July 3, 2001. The team became the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2001–02 season. The last player who played for the Vancouver Grizzlies to still be active in the NBA was Mike Bibby, who retired in 2012.
Team Uniforms
The Vancouver Grizzlies had unique uniforms. Their first home uniforms were white with turquoise letters and black and bronze details. The road uniforms were turquoise with white letters. These uniforms featured designs inspired by Indigenous art.
In the 1997–98 season, the Grizzlies added a black alternate uniform. This uniform had the city name on the front and thick turquoise and thin red stripes. The letters were white with red and turquoise trim. This black uniform later became the main road uniform for their final season. They also introduced a matching white uniform.
Home Arena
The Vancouver Grizzlies played all their home games at General Motors Place. This arena is located in downtown Vancouver. After the Grizzlies moved, the arena was renamed Rogers Arena. It is still home to the Vancouver Canucks hockey team.
Season Records
While in Vancouver, the Grizzlies played in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. Here's how they did each season:
| Season | Regular season | Postseason | Attendance | Ref | ||||
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| Pos | GP | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1995–96 | 7th | 82 | 15 | 67 | .183 | — | 17,183 | |
| 1996–97 | 7th | 82 | 14 | 68 | .171 | — | 16,571 | |
| 1997–98 | 6th | 82 | 19 | 63 | .232 | — | 16,108 | |
| 1998–99 | 7th | 50 | 8 | 42 | .160 | — | 16,718 | |
| 1999–00 | 7th | 82 | 22 | 60 | .268 | — | 13,899 | |
| 2000–01 | 7th | 82 | 23 | 59 | .280 | — | 13,737 | |
Head Coaches
Five different people were head coaches for the Vancouver Grizzlies. Here is a list of the coaches and their records while the team was in Vancouver:
| # | Name | Term | Games Coached | Wins | Losses | Win % | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Winters | 1995–1996 | 184 | 36 | 148 | .196 | |
| 2 | Stu Jackson | 1996 | 39 | 6 | 33 | .154 | |
| 3 | Brian Hill | 1997–1999 | 154 | 31 | 123 | .201 | |
| 4 | Lionel Hollins | 1999–2000 | 60 | 18 | 42 | .300 | |
| 5 | Sidney Lowe | 2000–2001 | 82 | 23 | 59 | .280 |
In Movies
The Vancouver Grizzlies have been featured in two documentary films by filmmaker Kathleen Jayme. These films are Finding Big Country (2018) and The Grizzlie Truth (2022).
