Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies Tickets
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Memphis Grizzlies Information:

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and are currently coached by Tony Barone Sr. as of December 28, 2006. The team is owned by Michael Heisley. Jerry West serves as the team's President of Basketball Operations.

The Vancouver Grizzlies along with the Toronto Raptors became NBA franchises in 1995. Both teams were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since 1946-47's Toronto Huskies. The Grizzlies were initially composed of players taken from other teams via an expansion draft and the Grizzlies' first draft pick, Bryant Reeves. Although they won their first home game in franchise history, the Grizzlies finished with the worst win/loss record in the NBA in 1995-96 seasons, as is typical for an expansion team, and lost 23 straight games from February to April (setting an NBA record now shared with the Denver Nuggets). In 1996, the Grizzlies drafted Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the 3rd overall pick. However, the Grizzlies continued to struggle and finished with the worst record in the league.

In 1997, the Grizzlies drafted Antonio Daniels with the 4th pick. The team saw some improvement as it finished in 6th place. The Grizzlies were back in last place after the 1998-99 season, however, despite drafting guard Mike Bibby with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft during the off-season. In the lockout-shortened season that followed, the Grizzlies would only win 8 games.

After the NBA lockout, the attendance at Grizzlies games began to drop, and the team's owners, OrcaBay (who also owned the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL) began to lose money. Businessman Michael Heisley bought the team in 2000, and one sub par year later, after considering New Orleans, St. Louis, and Anaheim among others, the team moved to Memphis, in 2001.