100 free Memphis Grizzlies trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Memphis Grizzlies trivia quiz covers both halves of the franchise: the Vancouver expansion team that nearly became the Mounties, Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves and the 23-game losing streak, Steve Francis's refusal, the 2001 move to Memphis and the Pyramid, Pau Gasol and Jerry West, the 2011 upset of San Antonio, the Grit and Grind years of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen, and the Ja Morant era. Expect easy questions on the arena, the mascot and the biggest names, plenty of history for regular fans, and hard ones about the Otis Thorpe trade, the 140–79 loss and the documentaries about the Vancouver years. Uniforms, Growl Towels and 'Whoop That Trick' get their turn too. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. Play it solo or run it as a round at your next Grizz watch party. For the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 100 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the name of the Grizzlies' home arena in Memphis, opened in 2004?
FedExForum
They spent their first three Memphis seasons in the Pyramid before moving.
Q 02Which name was first proposed for the Vancouver franchise before RCMP objections forced a change?
Mounties
'Grizzlies' honoured the bear indigenous to British Columbia.
Q 03Which centre, nicknamed 'Big Country', was the Grizzlies' first-ever draft pick in 1995?
Bryant Reeves
He was later the subject of the 2018 documentary 'Finding Big Country'.
Q 04How many straight games did the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies lose, then an NBA record?
23
They had won their first two games ever, then lost 19 in a row before the later 23-game skid.
Q 05Which 1999 draftee refused to play in Vancouver and was traded to Houston in an 11-player deal?
Steve Francis
He won Rookie of the Year with the Rockets and was harassed by fans whenever he returned to Vancouver.
Q 06What were the Vancouver Grizzlies' original team colours?
Turquoise, bronze and red
The turquoise uniforms were revived by Memphis for the franchise's 25th anniversary in 2019–20.
Q 07Which Chicago businessman bought the Grizzlies for $160 million and moved them to Memphis?
Michael Heisley
A failed sale to Bill Laurie preceded the deal; Nashville, Las Vegas and Louisville were also considered.
Q 08In which year did the Grizzlies relocate from Vancouver to Memphis?
2001
The move left Toronto as the only Canadian NBA team and made Memphis the easternmost city in the Western Conference.
Q 09Why did the franchise keep 'Grizzlies' after relocating to Tennessee?
Locals backed it, partly because a 1970s WFL club had used it
The original Memphis Grizzlies played in the World Football League in 1974–75.
Q 10Where did the Grizzlies play their first three seasons in Memphis?
The Pyramid
The Pyramid on the Mississippi riverfront later became a Bass Pro Shops megastore.
Q 11Which Spanish forward, drafted third overall in 2001, won Rookie of the Year in the Grizzlies' first Memphis season?
Pau Gasol
He was traded to the Lakers in 2008 in a deal that brought back the rights to his brother Marc.
Q 12Which Hall of Fame Laker became the Grizzlies' GM in 2002 and won Executive of the Year two years later?
Jerry West
He hired Hubie Brown and later resigned after the 22–60 season of 2006–07.
Q 13The Grizzlies' 2003 first-round pick, worth Anthony, Bosh or Wade, had been traded in 1997 for which player?
Otis Thorpe
Thorpe played only 47 games for Vancouver; Detroit used the pick on Darko Miličić.
Q 21What nickname described the Grizzlies' defence-first, paint-heavy style of the 2010s?
Grit and Grind
The core was Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen.
Q 22Which top seed did the eighth-seed Grizzlies upset in six games in 2011?
San Antonio Spurs
It was only the second time an eighth seed had beaten a top seed in a best-of-seven series.
Q 23Which young technology billionaire bought the Grizzlies for about $350 million in 2012?
Robert Pera
He was 34 at the time and brought in ESPN's John Hollinger to run basketball operations analytics.
Q 14Who won 2004 Coach of the Year after leading the Grizzlies to their first playoff berth and 50 wins?
Hubie Brown
He was 70 at the time; San Antonio swept Memphis in the first round.
Q 15How many straight playoff games did the Grizzlies lose across their first three postseasons?
12
They were swept by the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks in consecutive years.
Q 16Which player did the Grizzlies get from Houston in the 2006 trade that sent Shane Battier away?
Rudy Gay
Gay was flipped to Toronto in a 2013 three-team deal that brought Tayshaun Prince.
Q 17With which pick did the Grizzlies select Mike Conley Jr. in the 2007 draft?
Fourth
They had the best lottery odds after a 22–60 season but dropped to fourth.
Q 18The 2008 Pau Gasol trade gave the Grizzlies the draft rights to which future All-Star?
His younger brother Marc
Marc became Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and a three-time All-Star in Memphis.
Q 19Which centre did the Grizzlies draft right after Blake Griffin in 2009, later trading him for Shane Battier?
Hasheem Thabeet
He is widely considered one of the biggest busts in draft history.
Q 20Which superstar guard signed with the Grizzlies in 2009 but left after three games for 'personal problems'?
Allen Iverson
None of the three games was in Memphis, and he was waived.
Q 24What was the Grizzlies' best-ever record in 2012-13, their first conference finals year?
56–26
They beat the Clippers and Thunder before being swept by San Antonio; the record was matched in 2021–22.
Q 25Zach Randolph was suspended for Game 7 of the 2014 first round for punching which Thunder centre?
Steven Adams
Games 2 through 5 of that series went to overtime, a record four in a row.
Q 26Which two departures in the summer of 2017 closed the door on the franchise's defence-first era?
Zach Randolph and Tony Allen
Randolph signed with Sacramento and Allen with New Orleans; both later had numbers retired.
Q 27What was the Grizzlies' worst-ever regular-season loss, suffered against Charlotte in March 2018?
140–79
It came during a season that also matched the franchise-record 19-game losing streak.
Q 28To which team was the Grizzlies' Defensive Player of the Year centre traded in February 2019?
Toronto Raptors
He won a title with Toronto that June; Mike Conley was dealt to Utah that summer.
Q 29Where in the 2019 draft did the Grizzlies select Ja Morant?
2nd
He won Rookie of the Year with 99 of 100 first-place votes.
Q 30Who was named the Grizzlies' head coach in June 2019?
Taylor Jenkins
He was hired from Mike Budenholzer's Milwaukee staff.