100 Fun Facts About Memphis Grizzlies

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

They spent their first three Memphis seasons in the Pyramid before moving.

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

'Grizzlies' honoured the bear indigenous to British Columbia.

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

He was later the subject of the 2018 documentary 'Finding Big Country'.

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?

He won Rookie of the Year with the Rockets and was harassed by fans whenever he returned to Vancouver.

What were the Vancouver Grizzlies' original team colours?

The turquoise uniforms were revived by Memphis for the franchise's 25th anniversary in 2019–20.

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

A failed sale to Bill Laurie preceded the deal; Nashville, Las Vegas and Louisville were also considered.

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

The move left Toronto as the only Canadian NBA team and 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.

Which Spanish forward, drafted third overall in 2001, won Rookie of the Year in the Grizzlies' first Memphis season?

He was traded to the Lakers in 2008 in a deal that brought back the rights to his brother Marc.

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

He hired Hubie Brown and later resigned after the 22–60 season of 2006–07.

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?

He was 70 at the time; San Antonio swept Memphis in the first round.

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

They were swept by the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks in consecutive years.

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?

He is widely considered one of the biggest busts in draft history.

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

None of the three games was in Memphis, and he was waived.

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

The core was Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen.

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

It was only the second time an eighth seed had beaten a top seed in a best-of-seven series.

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

He was 34 at the time and brought in ESPN's John Hollinger to run basketball operations analytics.

What was the Grizzlies' best-ever record in 2012-13, their first conference finals year?

They beat the Clippers and Thunder before being swept by San Antonio; the record was matched in 2021–22.

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

Games 2 through 5 of that series went to overtime, a record four in a row.

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 Grizzlies' worst-ever regular-season loss, suffered against Charlotte in March 2018?

It came during a season that also matched the franchise-record 19-game losing streak.

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?

He won Rookie of the Year with 99 of 100 first-place votes.

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

He was hired from Mike Budenholzer's Milwaukee staff.

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

Ja Morant scored 35 in the win at Golden State.

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

They finished 56–26 as the West's second seed, their highest ever.

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

He was also a first-time All-Star that season.

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

He hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in his return, then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury nine games later.

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?

They debuted in white in 2004 and turned gold with the 2004–05 colour change.

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

'Whoop That Trick' erupted during the 2013 series against the Clippers.

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

The 'I Am a Man' signs are an icon of the civil rights movement.

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

The 2018–19 version had honoured Memphis pro wrestling.

Which ABA team, celebrated on the Grizzlies' 2024–25 City uniform, represented the city from 1970 to 1975?

The team was known as the Pros and Tams before rebranding as the Sounds.

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

It sits alongside navy, smoke blue and gold.

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

Fans were once handed flip-flops labelling Clippers players 'floppers'.

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

The record was matched by their own injury-riddled 2023–24 team.

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

He became a 20-point scorer alongside Morant and Jackson.

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

He raised it to 23.0 in 1998–99 and was later dealt to Atlanta for the pick that became Pau Gasol.

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

He also took over as head coach midway through 1996–97.

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

He was building GM Place for the Canucks and sold control to John McCaw Jr. in 1995.

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

He retired after playing for the Knicks in 2011–12.

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

The first film tracked down Bryant Reeves on his Oklahoma ranch.

Which Canadian expansion team joined the NBA alongside the Grizzlies for the 1995-96 season?

Vancouver won the coin flip at the expansion draft and used it to take a better position in the upcoming NBA draft.

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

Lightly recruited out of Sumter, South Carolina, he became a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore.

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

He had been named Rookie of the Year in 2020 after going second overall in the 2019 draft.

How much did FedExForum cost to build before its September 2004 opening?

A derecho windstorm in July 2003 nearly toppled the construction cranes near Beale Street; the city owns the arena.

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

The family settled in suburban Germantown, and Marc later returned to Spain to play for FC Barcelona.

With which pick did the Lakers select Marc Gasol in 2007 before his rights went to Memphis?

The February 2008 trade that sent his rights to the Grizzlies moved his older brother Pau the other way.

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

Randolph had pulled down 5,612 boards for the franchise; Gasol's number and Randolph's 50 are both honoured by the team.

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

The bar was higher than the Canucks' own base, and Orlando and Minnesota had struggled to reach 10,000 in 1989.

Who replaced Hubie Brown as Grizzlies head coach in the 2004-05 season after Brown stepped down?

The former TNT analyst turned the season around and guided the team to its second playoff trip.

Who became the Grizzlies' general manager in June 2007, replacing the retired Jerry West?

The former Celtics GM took over after a league-worst 22-60 season.

What honour did Grizz, the team's costumed bear, receive in 2011?

He has been with the franchise since its first season in Vancouver in 1995.

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

He had joined the staff as an assistant in 2024, becoming the first Finnish-born coach in the NBA, and was promoted to interim boss that March.

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

The power forward it honoured had retired two years earlier; numbers 33 and 9 followed in 2024 and 2025.

What franchise-record point total did Ja Morant post against San Antonio in February 2022?

He shot 22 of 30 from the field, two days after a 46-point game that had itself broken the old team mark.

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

Memphis stole Game 1 in Salt Lake City 112–109, and Ja Morant poured in 47 points in the Game 2 loss.

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

The series is remembered for Dillon Brooks calling LeBron James 'old' and then being ejected 17 seconds into the second half of Game 3.

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

No rookie had ever fouled out that quickly in a debut; the Purdue centre still made the All-Rookie First Team.

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

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony came back along with a 2029 pick swap.

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

He led the NBA in blocks per game in both 2021–22 and 2022–23.

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

He managed only 24 games in an injury-wrecked year in which Memphis opened 0–6 and finished 27–55.

What is GM Place, the Grizzlies' home for all six Vancouver seasons, called today?

The building hosted the 2010 Olympic hockey tournaments under yet another name, Canada Hockey Place.

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

In his first month he won a game with a sideline alley-oop pass to Courtney Lee at the buzzer.

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

Memphis hosts the NBA's annual MLK Day game each January, a short walk from the National Civil Rights Museum.

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

White Chocolate ran the point for the franchise's first two playoff trips, in 2004 and 2005, before leaving that summer.

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

A year later he hit nine threes in a game and scored 45 points in another, both franchise records at the time.

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

He finished runner-up for Rookie of the Year and later fought a teammate over a debt from an in-flight card game.

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

His first run was as interim coach in Vancouver in 1999–2000; his contract was not renewed in 2013 despite a 56-win season.

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

He won championships with the Dakota Wizards and Sioux Falls Skyforce, then joined Memphis as an assistant in 2007.

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

He had taken Memphis to the playoffs in his first season; his interim replacement was made permanent the following May.

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

He took charge of basketball operations in April 2019 and made seven trades almost immediately.

Which networking company did the Grizzlies' majority owner found in 2005?

He started it with $30,000 of savings and credit-card debt after Apple ignored his idea for long-range Wi-Fi.

Which NBA honour did Mike Conley win a record four times, the first as a Grizzly in 2014?

He collected it twice in Memphis, and the Grizzlies have promised to retire his number 11.

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

He also won Game 5 with a layup with one second left, and Memphis closed out the series in six.

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

Memphis had to win twice to advance and lost the first game 126–122; Ja Morant was named Rookie of the Year weeks later.

Where do the Grizzlies' G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, play their home games?

The Landers Center sits about sixteen miles from downtown Memphis, across the state line.

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

That was nearly four times the $32.5 million charged in the 1988–89 expansion round.

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

The NHL Blues owner offered US$200 million; the team later sold for $40 million less to a buyer who moved it anyway.

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, leaving after 2007–08?

The 2000 second overall pick had a one-season detour in Houston before returning in the trade for the rights to the eighth pick of 2006.

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

He cited health issues 'absolutely nonexistent at the beginning of the season'; reports blamed friction over his ten-man rotation.

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

It was the largest contract by total value in NBA history at the time, signed by a player who had never made an All-Star team.

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

Conley returned in a protective mask for Game 2 against Golden State and scored 21 points in a win.

How much did FedEx pay for the naming rights to the Grizzlies' arena?

The city-owned building itself was financed with $250 million of public bonds.

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

The idea came from a Nets fan who emailed David Stern; by 2011–12 every NBA arena had them.

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

The Vancouver star joined Kevin Garnett and Tim Hardaway on the Sydney roster.

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?

He had been a three-time conference coach of the year at Creighton and Texas A&M; the team finished a league-worst 22–60.

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

A Duke Law graduate, he left a big law firm for the job and was running the front office four years later.

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

The 805,850-square-foot building covers 14 acres and sinks its playing floor below street level.

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.