Memphis Grizzlies

Originally based in Vancouver, where they barely made a dent in the standings, relocated to Memphis and became a playoff perennial albeit with a ceiling of success

FEATURED LISTS

Heading on down the highway: 14 current NBA franchises that have re-located

The Warriors are returning to San Francisco after 48 years across the Bay in Oakland, but it’s not the first time this franchise his picked up and moved. We examine them and 13 other active teams that have changed cities…

October 11, 2022June 12, 2026

Keep your enemies closer: Nine geographically adjacent NBA rivalries

December 1, 2020June 12, 2026

Draft dodgers: Eight NBA players who refused to suit up for the team that drafted them

November 21, 2020June 12, 2026

Hardwood ceiling: 25 memorable team eras that didn’t include an NBA Finals appearance

October 1, 2019June 12, 2026

Hallowed halls: 14 memorable arenas no longer in use by NBA teams

May 11, 2019June 12, 2026

Surprise and advance: 15 significant upsets in NBA first round playoff series

April 11, 2019June 12, 2026

The people have spoken: 15 NBA team names that were (at least partially) decided by fan voting

October 11, 2018June 12, 2026

index

Click here for index

Drafting and trading Steve Francis
Expansion draft picks (1995)
Lengthy playoff drought
Name etymology
Playing games in Pyramid Arena
Re-location from Vancouver to Memphis
Rivalry with Seattle SuperSonics (as Vancouver Grizzlies)
Upsetting the Spurs in the 2011 playoffs first round

FULL archive

Cold comfort: 18 NBA Coach of the Year winners whose team made an early playoff exit

Being named Coach of the Year is one of the premier honors for NBA coaches but doesn’t mean much if it coincides with playoff disappointment

May 11, 2026June 12, 2026

Thanks for your service, we got it from here: 13 NBA coaches fired mid-season with a winning record

The pressure is on more than ever for NBA coaches, even successful ones, but the habit of firings during winning seasons is hardly new, as can be attested by the coaches on this list

November 11, 2025June 12, 2026

Foundational pieces: 30 notable NBA expansion draft picks

Utilized to seed the roster of new franchises, expansion drafts have been staged 11 times in NBA history, starting with the Chicago Packers in 1961 and most recently with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. These are the most notable selections in expansion draft history, from flops to revivals to impending franchise cornerstones.

October 1, 2025June 12, 2026

Faces in the crowd: 12 NBA celebrity superfans

Our taxonomy of the biggest celebrity NBA fans around, from movie stars to rappers to the one and only Jack Nicholson.

May 21, 2025June 12, 2026

Lions and tigers and Clutch the Bear, oh my!: Ranking the 26 NBA mascots

It’s the most academically important list we’ll ever produce, a scientific classification and ranking of NBA mascots.

October 1, 2024October 24, 2025

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: 22 NBA coaches who had multiple stints with the same franchise

Following their firing, re-signing, retiring, or demotion, these 22 coaches came back to the same NBA franchise a second time, often inexplicably and usually with diminishing returns.

December 11, 2022June 12, 2026

Heading on down the highway: 14 current NBA franchises that have re-located

The Warriors are returning to San Francisco after 48 years across the Bay in Oakland, but it’s not the first time this franchise his picked up and moved. We examine them and 13 other active teams that have changed cities during their time in the NBA and ABA.

October 11, 2022June 12, 2026

Penalty box-and-one: Five NBA playoff series that were swung by player suspensions

With the stakes at their highest and teams usually evenly matched or close to it, playoff series can often swing on a single player’s availability. Here are five notable cases where a star player missed a critical postseason game due to suspension.

May 21, 2021June 12, 2026

Bone dry: 15 all-time longest NBA franchise playoff droughts

With the Suns and possibly Knicks set to break long-time postseason absence streaks in 2021, we take a look at the lengthiest playoff droughts in NBA history.

February 11, 2021June 12, 2026

Keep your enemies closer: Nine geographically adjacent NBA rivalries

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then it stands to reason that closeness breeds contempt, as was the case in these nine NBA rivalries, which were all connected by topographical proximity.

December 1, 2020June 12, 2026

Draft dodgers: Eight NBA players who refused to suit up for the team that drafted them

Whether it was the locale, the franchise’s recent history, the roster makeup, the contract offer, or all of the above plus myriad other supposed reasons (just ask Steve Francis), these eight players disavowed the NBA teams that drafted them, with varied results.

November 21, 2020June 12, 2026

Hardwood ceiling: 25 memorable team eras that didn’t include an NBA Finals appearance

Proving that titles aren’t necessarily everything for basketball fans, these are the most talented, successful, beloved, and otherwise notable team eras of all time that never reached the NBA Finals.

October 1, 2019June 12, 2026

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