Memphis Grizzlies Logo

In the early 1990s, the NBA had a fantastic idea – to open up Canada. Not to discover it entirely (after all, the “Toronto Huskies” was one of the league’s first teams and even played in its first game), but at least to remind everyone that such a great country exists. Up North, the weather is always frosty. The NBA was already aware of Toronto, but representing only one team seemed improper. Hence, the search for another Canadian city began.

As a result, Vancouver was introduced to the enthusiastic American fans. In 1995, the NBA welcomed the Vancouver Grizzlies team. Initially, the owners wanted to name it Mounties in honor of the famous Canadian Mounted Police Department. As expected, local fans and the police didn’t appreciate the joke. Thus, the search for the team’s name continued. Following a public vote, the rather stern Vancouver Grizzlies and the mysterious Vancouver Ravens were favorites, with the strongest prevailing. However, the sacred name created in honor of the North American bear proved equally fortunate. Western Canada is home to many grizzlies, considered a totemic symbol by the local indigenous people. This fact is reflected in one of the team’s less significant emblems. As for the logos, no one knows exactly why the managers chose them. Perhaps it reflects Canada’s blue sky as it might be depicted by an avant-garde artist working in the genre of nuclear apocalypse. The Grizzlies called this turquoise shade Naismith Blue, hinting that basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith is related to their emblem.

The mutation of blue didn’t survive the 1990s. In ’99, the Grizzlies introduced an alternative black uniform, which became the primary one the following year.

Associations with the mighty northern giant were mere illusions: during six years in Vancouver, the team finished last in the tournament table five times, securing only 22% of victories in total. After changing two owners in four years, the franchise was practically in the hands of Bill Laurie, who decided to move the team to St. Louis. NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed this deal. Thus, the team was sold to Michael Heisley, a businessman from Chicago, who promised to keep the franchise in Canada.

However, the financial illiteracy of the former owners, coupled with a weak marketing campaign and draft failures, led to the club losing up to 40 million dollars a year. In the 1998/99 lockout season, all league clubs recorded a drop in audience activity, but the decline in interest in the Grizzlies was catastrophic.

In March 2001, the team was officially moved to Memphis, the city of Elvis Presley. This city wasn’t spoiled by the attention of the most significant sports leagues in the USA. However, the Memphis team wasn’t the first basketball club in Tennessee. In 1970, the ABA team “Filibusters,” having moved from New Orleans, spent the next five years grappling with merciless names. They concocted various names like Memphis Pros, Tams, Sounds, etc. Yet, their predecessors’ success couldn’t compare to the future heroes of the Grizzlies.

And again, there was a problem with the name. Memphis houses the headquarters of Federal Express, which became the club’s sponsor. They hoped the team’s new name would be Memphis Express. But the NBA made its adjustments, deciding that the club’s name (and its uniform) shouldn’t contain advertisements.

Eventually, the club remained the Grizzlies, although this type of bear doesn’t inhabit the state of Tennessee. Initially, the team continued playing in Vancouver’s colors, but by the fourth season in Memphis, it had acquired new ones. Designers sought to change the blue color. They added three (three!) different shades of blue to the Memphis Grizzlies’ uniform. They are called Memphis Midnight (dark navy blue), Beale Street Blue (blue, named after the famous Memphis street that played a significant role in the history of blues music), and Smoky Blue (pale blue).