Vancouver Grizzlies

aid homage to the sport's founder, Canadian James Naismith, in their color scheme; one of their team colors was "Naismith blue." The newly built General Motors Place (Now Rogers Arena), shared with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL), would serve as the Grizzlies home arena for their entire stay in Vancouver. The Grizzlies were initially composed of players taken from other teams via an expansion draft, together with the team's first draft pick, center Bryant Reeves. However, they were hampered by the NBA's decision to deny the Raptors and Grizzlies a shot at one of the top five picks in the draft. The other owners were still stung by the Orlando Magic making the NBA Finals in only their sixth year of existence largely on the strength of getting Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway with consecutive top picks. Although they won their first two games in franchise history, the Grizzlies finished with the worst win/loss record in the 1995–96 season, as is typical for an expansion team, and lost 23 straight games from February to April (setting what was an NBA single-season record; the record of 26 is now held by the Cleveland Cavaliers). In 1996, the Grizzlies drafted Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the third overall pick. However, they continued to struggle and finished with the worst record in the league. In 1997, the Grizzlies drafted Antonio Daniels with the fourth pick. Still, they finished in last place and repeated this feat again in the 1998–99 season, despite drafting guard Mike Bibby with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft. In the lockout-shortened season that followed, the Grizzlies would only win eight games. In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies had the second overall pick again, and selected Steve Francis. Unfortunately, in what became a turning point for the franchise, Francis publicly announced that he did not want to play for the team, citing various reasons. He was heavily criticized for his antics, particularly in Vancouver, and he was subsequently traded to the Houston Rockets in a three-team, 11-player blockbuster deal. After the NBA lockout, attendance at Grizzlies games began to drop slightly, and the team's owners, Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment (who also owned the Canucks), began to lose money. The NBA rejected an initial sale of the team to Bill Laurie (who at that time owned the St. Louis Blues of the NHL) after Laurie openly stated that he would move the team to St. Louis, Missouri. Businessman Michael Heisley then bought the team in 2000 with a promise to keep the Grizzlies in Vancouver. However, attendance at Grizzlies' home games dropped slightly in the 2000–01 season. Fan support increased after it was widely believed that the team would be moved before the next season. Mike Bibby was the last remaining active NBA player to have played for the Grizzlies while still in Vancouver.