Memphis Grizzlies

History

1995–2001: Vancouver Grizzlies

The Vancouver Grizzlies were based in Vancouver, Canada, and were part of the NBA's Midwest Division in the Western Conference. The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada. Original proposals were for the team to be called the Vancouver Mounties, but objections from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police forced the team to find a new name. The nickname, "Grizzlies" was eventually selected, named after the grizzly bear indigenous to British Columbia. The Grizzlies played their home games at General Motors (GM) Place for the entirety of their six seasons in Vancouver.

Relocation to Memphis

The Vancouver Grizzlies applied to the NBA to relocate to Memphis, Tennessee on March 26, 2001, which was granted on July 3 leaving the Toronto Raptors as the only Canadian basketball team in the NBA. The team relocated following the 2000–01 season and were renamed the Memphis Grizzlies. After moving to Memphis, the team explored the possibility of changing "Grizzlies" to another name that better reflected the Memphis area. However, the community strongly supported the existing name. This is, primarily, because of the city's proud history with a previous team, also named Memphis Grizzlies. The original Memphis Grizzlies franchise played in the World Football League from 1974 to 1975. Memphis became the easternmost city in the Western Conference. In their first three seasons in Memphis, the Grizzlies played their home games at the Pyramid Arena.

The city of Memphis was previously represented by the Memphis Sounds of the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1975.

2001–2007: The Pau Gasol era

In the 2001 NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks chose Pau Gasol as the third overall pick, trading him to the Grizzlies. Forward Shane Battier was selected with the sixth pick in the same draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. They also acquired Jason Williams from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Mike Bibby that same year. After the Grizzlies' first season in Memphis, Gasol won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. However, despite the strong draft class, general manager Billy Knight was let go. After Knight's departure and the season, the team hired former Los Angeles Laker and Hall of Famer Jerry West as general manager in 2002, who later received the 2003–04 NBA Executive of the Year Award. After West's arrival the team was changed a great deal from Knight's team, with the removal of Sidney Lowe as head coach after 0–8 start to the season and a great deal of player movement, with players such as Mike Miller and James Posey becoming vital to the team's success. During the 2002–03 season, Hubie Brown was hired to coach the Grizzlies.

Before the team could improve, though, one final mistake from the Vancouver era happened to bite them. Their first round pick in the 2003 NBA draft, in which they could have had their choice of future All-Stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade, had been traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1997 for Otis Thorpe. Due to the structure of the lottery, the Grizzlies ended up losing the second overall pick, one which likely could have changed their future course by selecting any of the aforementioned players, for a player who didn't even play a full season for the team, playing only 47 games for the team before being released. Even considering the Pistons themselves used the pick on Darko Miličić, widely considered one of that year's biggest draft busts, the Grizzlies had indirectly performed one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.

Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year Award during the next season when the Grizzlies made the NBA playoffs for the first time in team history in 2004 as the sixth seed in the Western Conference in a drastic change from being perennially one of the worst teams in the NBA. They also won a then-record 50 games under Gasol and Williams. In the playoffs, they faced the San Antonio Spurs, who swept them out of the playoffs in four games.

Brown stepped down as head coach during the 2004–05 season. At the time of his resignation, the Grizzlies had a losing record but West hired TNT analyst and former coach Mike Fratello to replace Brown. The Grizzlies' record improved and the team advanced to the post-season for the second consecutive season. However, the Grizzlies were swept out in the first round again, this time by the Phoenix Suns. After the season, which ended with anger between Fratello and many of the players, namely Bonzi Wells and Jason Williams, the team had an active 2005 off-season in which they revamped the team and added veterans. While the Grizzlies lost Wells, Williams, Stromile Swift, and James Posey, they acquired Damon Stoudamire, Bobby Jackson, Hakim Warrick, and Eddie Jones. They made the playoffs for the third consecutive year as well.

2007–2010: Rebuilding

The Grizzlies finished the 2006–07 season with a league-worst 22–60 record, and Jerry West announced his resignation from his position as the team's general manager shortly after the end of the regular season. The team also hired Marc Iavaroni, who was previously with the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach, to be the team's new head coach. Despite the last-place finish, the Grizzlies, who held the best chance of landing the first pick, ended up with the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft, with which the Grizzlies selected Mike Conley Jr.

On June 18, 2007, the Grizzlies named former Boston Celtics general manager Chris Wallace as the team's general manager and vice president of basketball operations, replacing the retired West. A few days later, they hired former Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic head coach Johnny Davis, longtime NBA assistant coach Gordon Chiesa, and the head coach of the 2007 NBA Development League champion Dakota Wizards, David Joerger, as the team's new assistant coaches. Gene Bartow was named the Grizzlies' president of basketball operations on August 16, 2007. On February 1, 2008, Pau Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's younger brother), and 2008 and 2010 first-round draft picks.

On January 22, 2009, head coach Marc Iavaroni was fired and replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Johnny Davis for two games. Lionel Hollins was named the Grizzlies' permanent head coach on January 25, 2009.

On June 25, 2009, with the second overall pick in the NBA draft, Memphis selected Hasheem Thabeet, then selected DeMarre Carroll with the 27th overall pick. On September 9, 2009, the Grizzlies signed free agent Allen Iverson to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. He only played three games (none in Memphis) before he left for "personal problems". He was then waived by the Grizzlies. Following Iverson's departure, the Grizzlies improved. With new acquisition Zach Randolph playing at an All-Star level, Marc Gasol's improvement, and a commitment to defense, the Grizzlies were in playoff contention for much of the 2009–10 season, before finishing 10th in the Western Conference with a win–loss record of 40–42.

2010–2019: The "Grit and Grind" era

Going into the 2010–11 season the Grizzlies celebrated the tenth year of basketball in Memphis. The season started with tremendous enthusiasm by the fan base in the Memphis area. Although the Grizzlies and their fans were celebrating the tenth season, the Grizzlies were also cheering for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. They finished with a 46–36 record. The Grizzlies found their way back into the post-season for the first time in five years in the 2010–11 season after a 101–96 home victory over the Sacramento Kings on April 8, 2011. While in the playoff hunt in February 2011, the Grizzlies traded Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a protected future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets for Shane Battier, and Ishmael Smith.

The team became known locally and nationally for its "Grit and Grind"-style of basketball which means disruptive defense through high pressure on the ball (they were the team with the most steals per game in 2010–11) and their inside-out offense (they were the highest-scoring team in the paint also). The Grizzlies achieved several firsts in franchise history during the 2011 NBA playoffs. Entering the playoffs as an eighth seed, the team won their first playoff game in franchise history on April 17 with a 101–98 victory on the road against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. Memphis then won their first home playoff game when they beat the Spurs 91–88 on April 23. Finally, on April 29, the team won their first playoff series when they beat the Spurs in Game 6, 99–91 to win the series 4–2. This was only the fourth time in NBA history that an #8 seed defeated a #1 seed, and only the second time in a best-of-seven series (the first two were in a best-of-five series). The Grizzlies' historic season came to an end after the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated them in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The team re-signed Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi after the 2010–11 season.

The Grizzlies found their way back into the post-season for the second time in six years in the 2011–12 season after a 103–91 home victory over the New Orleans Hornets on April 18, 2012. They finished the 2011–12 season with a 41–25 record, fourth in the Western Conference. However, they were eliminated in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

During the 2012 off-season, the Grizzlies drafted Tony Wroten with the 25th overall pick. Their biggest signing in an effort to improve their bench was bringing in Jerryd Bayless. They also acquired Wayne Ellington from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Dante Cunningham.

2019–2026: The Ja Morant era

After the end of the 2018–19 season, controlling owner Robert Pera announced a restructuring of the Grizzlies' basketball operations department: "In order to put our team on the path to sustainable success, it was necessary to change our approach to basketball operations". J. B. Bickerstaff was relieved from his duties as head coach and general manager Chris Wallace was reallocated to a role exclusively in player scouting. Jason Wexler was announced as team president and Zachary Kleiman was promoted to general manager and EVP of basketball operations.

On June 12, 2019, the Grizzlies announced Taylor Jenkins as the team's new head coach.

With the second pick in the 2019 NBA draft, the Grizzlies selected Ja Morant. Additionally, they received Brandon Clarke after he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 21st pick, and then immediately traded to the Grizzlies for the 23rd pick (via the Utah Jazz) and the Grizzlies' 2024 second-round pick. The Grizzlies rebuilt their roster with a young core consisting of Morant, Clarke, Allen, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Grizzlies were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season. They finished in ninth place in the Western Conference and had a chance to make it to the 2020 NBA playoffs, needing to win two games against the Portland Trail Blazers to advance. In the first and only play-in game, the Trail Blazers defeated the Grizzlies 126–122. At the conclusion of the season, Morant, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, earning 99 out of 100 first place votes on the ballot. Morant and teammate Brandon Clarke were also named to the 2019–20 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

The Grizzlies finished the COVID-shortened 2020–21 NBA season with a 38–34 record, earning them the ninth best record in the Western Conference and a chance to make the NBA playoffs through the play-in tournament by winning two games in a row. The Grizzlies did so with a 100–96 victory over the 10th-place San Antonio Spurs, at home on May 19, 2021 followed by a 117–112 victory over the 8th-place Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on May 21, 2021, to claim the Western Conference's 8th seed behind 35 points from Morant. The Grizzlies' first-round match-up pitted them against the Utah Jazz, who boasted the top record in the league. The Grizzlies upset the Jazz in Salt Lake City with a 112–109 victory in Game 1 but went on to lose the series in five games. Rookie wing Desmond Bane, acquired by Memphis with the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, was selected to the 2020–21 NBA All-Rookie Second Team for his campaign that season.

Season-by-season record

List of the last five seasons completed by the Grizzlies. For the full season-by-season history, see list of Memphis Grizzlies seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Home arenas

General Motors (GM) Place (1995–2001)

Pyramid Arena (2001–2004)

FedExForum (2004–present)

Uniforms

Upon their arrival in Memphis, the Grizzlies retained the same uniforms they wore in their final season in Vancouver, but with the city name emblazoned on both the white and black uniform. Turquoise and red served as the accent colors. After one season, the Grizzlies made a minor tweak, replacing the "G-bear" logo with the "howling bear" logo on the right leg. The "ball and claws" logo was also added above the player's name.

Coinciding with the move from the Pyramid to FedExForum in 2004, the Grizzlies released a new uniform design featuring navy blue, Beale Street blue, smoke blue, and gold. It also brought back the team name on the home uniform. The letters and numbers employed a distinct split-letter style reminiscent of the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Cavaliers' 1990s uniforms. The logo also changed from a "howling bear" to a more stoic bear head. As a result of their logo change, the Grizzlies are currently one of nine NBA teams without a basketball on their logo, along with the Bulls, the Cavaliers, the Bucks, the Hawks, the Trail Blazers, the Warriors, the Rockets, and the Spurs.

In 2009, the Grizzlies released an alternate uniform with Beale Street blue as the base color. Unlike the primary uniforms, this design featured the city name and player's name arranged in a straight alignment; the primaries had a radially arched alignment.

When the Grizzlies switched to Adidas' Revolution 30 system in 2010, the numbers changed from a split-letter style to a bolder, single-color style, presumably due to the difficulty of producing such design. In 2017, the Grizzlies wore a black sleeved uniform as a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

After switching to Nike in 2017, the Grizzlies made minimal changes to their uniforms, with the exception of the Beale Street alternates now featuring the player's name below the number. However, the following season, the Grizzlies drastically changed their uniforms. The white "Association" and navy blue "Icon" uniform featured player names below the number and straight alignment for the city name and team name respectively. Both uniforms featured three alternating lines on the beltline, which spelled "MEM", the primary logo on the left leg, and asymmetrical striping. On the Beale Street blue "Statement" uniform, player names were placed above the number, and the team name was arranged in a radial arch. The primary logo is on the beltline and on the left leg while the aforementioned alternating "MEM" lines surround the logo. In 2022, the "Statement" uniform was modified, featuring the full team name ("Memphis" in gold, "Grizzlies" in navy/smoke/navy split letters) in front, the primary logo on the right leg, and "MEM" lines on the striping and beltline.

Personnel

Retained draft rights

The Grizzlies hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Retired numbers

The Grizzlies originally planned to retire Tony Allen's no. 9 jersey on January 28, 2022. However, in November 2021, the ceremony was postponed at the request of Allen. In September 2024, it was announced that the ceremony would go ahead on March 15, 2025.

After trading Mike Conley Jr., the team announced they would retire Conley Jr.'s no. 11 jersey.

The NBA retired Bill Russell's no. 6 for all its member teams on August 11, 2022.

Television and radio

Beginning with the 2026–27 season, regionally telecast Grizzlies games air on the DAZN streaming platform.

Prior to 2026 the Grizzlies appeared on television on the pay-TV channel FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, owned and operated by FanDuel Sports Network. The TV broadcast crew is play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica, analyst Brevin Knight and sideline reporter Rob Fischer. Since the 2024–25 season, 5 games are simulcast over-the-air on Gray Media owned WMC-TV, WSMV-TV and WBXX-TV.

On radio, the Grizzlies are heard on their flagship station WMFS-FM "ESPN 92.9". The radio broadcast crew is play-by-play announcer Eric Hasseltine, and analysts Hank McDowell and Elliot Perry.

Staff

Traditions

Mascot

Grizz is the official mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies. He was first introduced in 1995 when the team was in Vancouver, British Columbia. Grizz was named 2011 NBA Mascot of the Year.

In 2007, the performer playing Grizz was diagnosed with cancer. As a show of support, the Grizzlies chose not to have Grizz appear until he recovered. During this period, mascots from other teams performed at Grizzlies home games in Grizz's place. The franchise also launched a program called "Friends of Grizz", with donations and proceedings going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Growl Towels

Growl Towels are the Grizzlies' trademark gold rally towels given to fans at every home playoff game. Originally white, they made their debut in 2004 in the third and fourth games of the franchise's first ever playoff series. They switched to gold when the Grizzlies changed their team colors for the 2004–2005 season. Since 2013, Growl Towels have rotated various popular team slogans such as "Grit & Grind", "All Heart", or "Ain't No Runnin' in the M", and each towel identifies the playoff year, round and game number it was released. They became notable across the league during Memphis' seven consecutive playoff runs starting in 2011. During their 2013 run to the Western Conference Finals, the Grizzlies printed over 100,000 towels.

"Whoop that Trick"

The popular song by Memphis rapper Al Kapone from the locally filmed Hustle & Flow has become a standard during Grizzlies games since erupting as a spontaneous chant among fans during the 2013 playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rivalries

Los Angeles Clippers

Despite being one of the youngest squads in the NBA, the Grizzlies are rivals with the Los Angeles Clippers, since the 2011–12 season, when the Clippers eliminated the Grizzlies in seven games in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs. The Grizzlies returned the favor in the 2012–13 season, eliminating the Clippers in six games in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs. There have also been violent scuffles between the players, mainly between the Grizzlies Zach Randolph and the Clippers Blake Griffin. The Grizzlies are also the first team to draw an ejection on Clippers guard Chris Paul after he elbowed Marc Gasol in the ribs in the closing minutes of Game 6. When asked about a rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers center DeAndre Jordan stated, "I don't think it'll ever be a rivalry. You guys [in the media] want it to be, though. I would say Memphis more than the Lakers. I hate every other NBA team in the league. If anybody [is our rival], I'd say Memphis." Although the two teams never met in the 2014 playoffs, they still engaged in close, heated matchups in the 2014–15 season. In a Grizzlies home game against the Clippers, the crowd was given flip-flop sandals designating Clippers players as "floppers". Clippers leads all time meeting 52–49.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Grizzlies also have a rivalry brewing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, dating back to when the teams were based in Vancouver and Seattle, respectively. The squads have faced each other in the playoffs in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2025 with the Thunder beating the Grizzlies in the conference semifinals in 2011 and in the conference quarterfinals in 2014, both in seven games. The Grizzlies handled the Thunder in five games during the conference semifinals in 2013 before getting beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals that same year. Thunder leads all time meeting 66–35.

San Antonio Spurs

The Grizzlies' rivalry with the San Antonio Spurs goes way back in 2004 when the Spurs swept the Grizzlies in the first round. Seven years later, they would meet again in the 2011 NBA playoffs. The Grizzlies upset the Spurs in six games, which made it the fourth time ever an 8th seed beat a first seed in the playoffs. They would then meet again in the conference finals in 2013, where the Spurs once again swept the Grizzlies to go to the NBA Finals. The Grizzlies got swept again by the Spurs in 2016 due to a multitude of injuries suffered during the season. They met again the following year, where the Grizzlies lost in six games. The Grizzlies got payback on the Spurs in the 2021, play-in tournament by the score of 100–96. Spurs leads all time meeting 74–35.