- The Grizzlies are the only team from the four major US professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) located in Memphis.
- The Vancouver Grizzlies applied with the NBA to relocate to Memphis on March 26, 2001 and it was granted.
- The Grizzlies are located further East than any other Western Conference team. They aren't even on the Western side of the Mississippi River.
- Former Memphis GM Jerry West received the 2003–04 NBA Executive of the Year Award.
- The Grizzlies worst season came while they were in Vancouver in the 1996-97 season, finishing 14-68 for the season with a winning percentage of just 17%.
- Lionel Hollins won more regular season games (214) than any other coach in franchise history and also the only coach to win in the postseason for the Grizzlies.
- The Memphis Grizzlies selected Jamaal Franklin with the 41st pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. They packaged the 45th pick with Darrell Arthur and traded with Denver for Kosta Koufos.
- The Grizzlies were established in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1995.

- Memphis became the fourth franchise (Denver, New York, Golden State) to upset a No. 1 seed in the postseason as an eighth seed, shocking San Antonio 4-2 in opening round of the 2010-11 playoffs. The Grizzlies were previously 0-12 in franchise postseason play heading into that series.
- Marc Gasol won Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season.
- The Vancouver Grizzlies joined the NBA for the 1995-96 season, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the league's two-teamed expansion into Canada.
- Six members of the 2004-05 Memphis Grizzlies went on to win championships with other franchises (Pau Gasol - Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Williams - Miami Heat, James Posey - Heat & Boston Celtics, Mike Miller - Miami Heat, Shane Battier - Miami Heat, Brian Cardinal - Dallas Mavericks).
- As of July 7th, 2013, Mike Conley Jr. is the longest tenured member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
- Lionel Hollins coached the Memphis Grizzlies to their best regular season in franchise history in 2012-13, finishing the season 56-26. He also took the team to the Western Conference Finals.
- 2001-02 was the Grizzlies inaugural season in Memphis after owner Michael Hiesley brought the team to town from Vancouver.
- Unfortunately, the first draft pick in Grizzlies history was Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.
- The original name for the Vancouver Grizzlies was going to be the Vancouver Mounties, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police objected. (according to ESPN)

- Marc Gasol was acquired by the Memphis Grizzlies in the same trade that saw his older brother get sent to the Los Angeles Lakers.
- In the 2009 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies selected center Hasheem Thabeet, who notoriously has turned into one of the biggest busts in league history so far. He was chosen ahead of James Harden, Tyreke Evans (who played collegiately at the University of Memphis), Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and Brandon Jennings, among many other quality talents.
- During the 2009 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies traded away Kevin Love to Minnesota for fellow draft pick O.J. Mayo.
- Due to a 1997 trade with Detroit for Otis Thorpe, the only way the Grizzlies could have retained their top draft pick in the 2003 NBA Draft lottery was if they received the top selection. They landed second, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliars and thus missing out on LeBron James. The Pistons, however, blew the pick they won from the Grizzlies by selecting career bust Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade,
- During the 2002-03 season, despite starting the year an abysmal 0-13, the Grizzlies still managed to break the previous franchise record for wins in a season (23).
- The Grizzlies are 18-29 all-time in postseason play in six trips to the postseason. However, after losing their first 12 playoff games, Memphis is 18-17 during their past three trips to the playoffs, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2012-13.
- Memphis has landed the second pick in the draft lottery on five occasions, although they lost the pick in 2003 to Detroit due to a previous trade. The other four times, the Grizzlies used the picks on Mike Bibby, Steve Francis, Stromile Swift, and Hasheem Thabeet (Francis was traded to Houston before ever playing for the Grizzlies). They had the second overall pick three seasons in a row from 1998-00.
- Although the Grizzlies have had a whopping nine selections in the top five of the NBA Draft during their franchise history, they have never landed the first overall selection. It would have been ten picks in the top five if the team had won the 2003 lottery and been allowed to keep their selection from the Pistons. Memphis could have selected LeBron James had they won that lottery and not placed second.
- For the first eight drafts in Grizzlies team franchise history (1995-2002), the Grizzlies had a top six selection every season (95 - Bryant Reeves [6th], 96 - Shareef Abdur-Rahim [3rd], 97 - Antonio Daniels [4th], 98 - Mike Bibby [2nd], 99 - Steve Francis [2nd], 00 - Steve Francis [2nd], 01 - Shane Battier [6th], 02 - Drew Gooden [4th]). The streak ended in the 2003 Draft, when the team had to trade to second pick to the Detroit Pistons after Memphis failed to win the top selection in the draft lottery.
No comments:
Post a Comment