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Vancouver Grizzlies Team History

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Vancouver Grizzlies




  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • Vancouver Grizzlies 1995

    Vancouver Grizzlies Team Formation

    The only former professional basketball team to play in Canada was the Toronto Huskies, who played a single season in 1946 – 1947 before folding. Attempts had been made by Nelson Skalbania, a local entrepreneur, to get an NBA franchise to Vancouver in the 1980s, but had failed. Arthur Griffiths, owner of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ...
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  • Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Vancouver Grizzlies 1991

    Drafted Shareef Abdur-Rahim

    Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected third overall by the Grizzlies in the 1996 Draft. The Grizzlies also traded for Anthony Peeler and George Lynch from the Los Angeles Lakers on 16 July 1996. Abdur-Rahim made an immediate impact playing for the Grizzlies, becoming the team’s leading scorer while setting a franchise record of 18.7 points per game (ppg). He finished third ...
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  • Michael Heisley - Vancouver Grizzlies

    Sold to Michael Heisley

    Financially, the lockout that occurred in 1998 was the turning point for the team. Attendance plummeted from a league average of 16,108 in the 1997 – 1998 season to 13,899 in the 1999 – 2000 season, which was the third-lowest in the league. Orca Bay started losing money on operations, in part because of a weak Canadian dollar. Griffiths sold ...
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  • Vancouver Grizzlies 2002

    Move to Memphis – Grizzlies

    The Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Vancouver Grizzlies to move the basketball team from the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the U.S. city of Memphis, Tennessee. The team began to play as the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2001 – 2002 season. It was the first of three National ...
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History of the Grizzlies

The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. Following the 2000 – 2001 season, the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and is known as the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors Place for the entirety of their 6 seasons in Vancouver.





Established
1995

City
Vancouver – Memphis

League History
1995 – Present / National Basketball Association

Team History
2001 – Present / Memphis Grizzlies
1995 – 2001 / Vancouver Grizzlies

Nickname
Grizzlies – When Vancouver was awarded an expansion franchise in 1994 to begin play the following season, the team’s owners had tentative plans to name the team the Mounties. The Royal Mounted Canadian Police and fans alike objected, so team officials resumed their search for a name. The local newspaper sponsored a name-the-team contest, which club officials monitored before choosing Grizzlies, an indigenous species to the area, over Ravens.

Championship
NBA Championships 0

Arena
2004 – Present / FedExForum
2001 – 2004 / Pyramid Arena

*Vancouver*
1995 – 2001 / General Motors Place

Owner
2012 – Present / Robert J. Pera
2000 – 2012 / Michael Heisley
1995 – 2000 / Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment

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* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.

Retired Number

*Blue is this team’s history

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