Memphis Grizzlies 2022: News, Schedule, Roster, Score, Injury Report

The Memphis Grizzlies compete in the NBA as a part of the Southwest Division in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are the only major professional North American sports team to hold their base in the city of Memphis. 

The team has perfectly designed their logo to complement the “Grizzlies” name. The latest design contains a more subtly colored bear whose eyes are tinted with a shade of yellow to display the team's ferocious style. 

The team’s name is placed below the design, and the city’s name is given more weightage in the logo, which makes it captivating. 

The Grizzlies’ home arena is FedExForum, which they share with the University of Memphis. The franchise moved into the arena in 2004 after previously playing their home games at the “Memphis Pyramid.” 

Who owns the Memphis Grizzlies? 

Robert Pera, the founder of Ubiquiti Networks, owns the controlling rights of the Memphis Grizzlies. He became the majority owner of the franchise after purchasing it in 2012 for a rough sum of $350 million. 

Pera achieved incredible success as a businessman, and Forbes estimates his value at $11.4 billion. After taking over the Grizzlies, he enjoyed striking success, something the franchise had never done before. The franchise’s most recent valuation stood at $1.3 billion. 

Head Coach and Top Executives 

Taylor Jenkins has been serving as the coach of the Grizzlies since 2019. The Texas native replaced J. B. Bickerstaff to become the 13th Head Coach of the franchise. He almost enjoyed a winning start in his first season at the team as the Grizzlies finished with a 34-39 record in the 2019/20 regular season. 

Prior to taking up the HC job at Memphis, Jenkins gained plenty of experience by assisting the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks. Jenkins served as an assistant coach to Mike Budenholzer for six years and later took up a bigger responsibility. 

The Grizzlies named Jason Wexler as the President of Business Operations back in 2019. This came as a huge announcement, as Wexler was promoted from his post as CEO, a position he had held since 2013. 

History

The Grizzles were founded in 1995 as an expansion team by the NBA. The team initially was assigned the city of Vancouver as their base. At that time, the Raptors and the Grizzlies were the only Canadian-based teams in the association. 

But following the 2000-01 season, the franchise moved back to the US and relocated to Memphis. They only made the playoffs twice in their first two years in the league. A part of that fortune changed when they traded in Pau Gasol during the 2001 draft. 

Gasol became the first foreign player to win the Rookie of the Year award, and he powered the franchise to their first playoff appearance in 2004. However, Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers in 2008, for which they got his brother Marc in return. 

Marc Gasol stood as a defensive rock and vastly improved his game to stand out as one of the league’s best defenders. The 2012-13 season really shone light on his talent as Gasol won the DPOY and also played a crucial role in guiding the team to their first-ever conference finals. 

Gasol anchored the defense and helped the Grizzlies seal successive playoff berths. The team had to find another superstar to carry them after Gasol was traded to the Toronto Raptors. That’s when they used their prized #2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Memphis Grizzlies signed Murray State guard Ja Morant with their top order pick, and the youngster did not fail to deliver. Morant won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award to boost the expectations fans had on him. In the 2021-22 season, he is single-handedly carrying the Grizzlies, and they are within the top-3 in the West.

Memphis Grizzlies: Mascot and Uniform

Since the team’s logo represents a bear, one can easily figure out how their mascot would be. His name is “Grizz” and he has been the official mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies since 1995. The furry fan favorite was also named the NBA Mascot of the Year in 2011! 

The franchise’s main colors have always remained blue, gray, and gold, and they encompass these shades in their uniforms as well. Their recent “Icon” edition was in navy blue, while the “Statement” edition is a light blue shade. 

Team’s Sponsors 

Multinational delivery services company FedEx is the main sponsor of the Grizzlies. The company is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and FedEx signed a multi-year jersey deal with the franchise in 2018. 

Besides FedEx, the franchise has several tie-ups and sponsorships with other companies- FanDuel, Waste Pro, and Valvoline. 

Achievements and History

Memphis Grizzlies 2021-22 roster