Memphis Grizzlies Tickets

A part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Memphis Grizzlies, is a Memphis, Tennessee based professional basketball team. Along with the Toronto Raptors, the team was established in 1995 in Vancouver, as part of the NBA's growth into Canada.

The franchise is mainly owned by Michael Heisley with a share of 70% with remaining 30% shares owned by a few well known locals such as Auto Zone founder - J. R. ?Pitt' Hyde, Equity Manager Staley Cates and former NBA player and University of Memphis point guard Elliot Perry with Jerry West the NBA legend as the team's President for Basketball Operations.

Businessman Michael Heisley bought the team in year 2000, with a promise to stay in Vancouver, from Orca Bay - also owner of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL when he began to loose money due to dropping numbers of spectators at Grizzlies games after the NBA keep off. Bill Laurie then owner of the St. Louis Blues of the NHL, was refused the sale of the team since he declared to move the team. A few months into the new season clarified that the franchise had to move considering New Orleans, St. Louis, Louisville and Anaheim as the possibilities but eventually decided on Memphis and moved in 2001.After the 1946-47's Toronto Huskies, Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Rapports - returning to Canada in 1995 under NBA's franchise expansion plan, were the first teams to play in Canada.

Like most other expanding teams, the Grizzlies included some draft picks from other teams the first one being Bryant Reeves followed by Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the third pick in 1996. The first two games of franchise history were a win yet they finished with the most horrible win/loss record during the 1995-96NBA season (nothing new for an expanding team!). Setting an NBA single-season record, now also shared by Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers still holding an over-all record of 24, Grizzlies lost 23 games from February to April and their struggle continued even after they finished with the worst record in the league.

Pau Gasol - traded to the Grizzlies and won the ?Rookie of the Year Award', was drafted as the 3rd overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft. Shane Battier, who promptly became an unofficial spokesperson for the team and a fan favorite, was drafted by The Grizzlies. Billy Knight was freed after 2001-02 season and Jerry West - former Los Angeles Laker and member of Hall of Fame, was hired as General Manager in 2002 and with him came lots of changes in the team. Sidney Lowe the head coach was terminated after a gloomy 0-8 start to the season replaced by Hubie Brown, among the players Mike Miller and James Posey emerging as most important factors for the team's victories. For the first time in team history, during the spring of 2004, Grizzlies made the NBA matches as the sixth seed in the Western Conference in a radical change from being perennially one of the worst teams in the NBA. 200304's NBA Executive of the Year Award was given to Jerry West for his services and Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year Award during the 2004 season.

Jerry West traded Shane Battier to the Houston Rockets for their First Round Pick, former Grizzly Stromile Swift - the only player on the team who had played for Vancouver and Rudy Gay of the University of Connecticut, during the 2006 NBA Draft. Gasol broke his left foot while playing for Spain in the World Championships, just a little before 2006-07 season which was a setback to the Grizzlies. The season began with 5-17 without Gasol followed by 1-7 when he was allowed to play for a limited time of 25 minutes per game, just then, Fratello the coach was replaced by Tony Barone Sr. (as an interim coach) who had no prior experience of coaching an NBA game. Barone had coached at the collegiate level for Creighton and Texas A & M being named coach of the year in their conferences thrice.

Jerry West announced resignation from his position as the team's general manager shortly after Grizzlies ended the 2006-07 seasons with the league's worst 22-60 record. Marc Iavaroni - highly publicized Phoenix Suns assistant was hired to be the team's new head coach. Despite their last place finish, the Grizzlies, who held the best chance of landing the first pick in a draft, ended up with the fourth pick, choosing Mike Conley Jr., in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Ex- Boston Celtics GM Chris Wallace was chosen as the team's General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations, replacing West, on June 18, 2007. A few days later, the Grizzlies appointed Johnny Davis - former Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic head coach, Gordon Chiesa - longtime NBA assistant coach and David Joerger - the head coach of the 2007 NBA Development League champion Dakota Wizards, as the team's new assistant coaches and naming Gene Bartow - a Memphis basketball legend, as President of Basketball Operations on August 16, 2007.