1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the Grizzlies' first season in the National Basketball Association.[1] The Vancouver Grizzlies, along with the Toronto Raptors became expansion NBA franchises in 1995. They were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since 1946–47's Toronto Huskies.[2] The Grizzlies revealed a new primary logo of a grizzly bear holding a basketball,[3] and got new uniforms with Native American markings on the trims of their jerseys, adding turquoise and brown to their color scheme.[4][5] In the Expansion Draft, the team selected veteran players like Greg Anthony, Blue Edwards, Byron Scott, Benoit Benjamin, Gerald Wilkins and Kenny Gattison.[6] The team also signed free agents Chris King and undrafted rookie forward Ashraf Amaya, and acquired Anthony Avent from the Orlando Magic. The Grizzlies received the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected center Bryant Reeves out of Oklahoma State.[7]

1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies season
Head coachBrian Winters
General managerStu Jackson
OwnersArthur Griffiths
ArenaGeneral Motors Place
Results
Record15–67 (.183)
PlaceDivision: 7th (Midwest)
Conference: 14th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionBCTV
Showcase
RadioCKNW

Under new head coach Brian Winters, the Grizzlies got off to a solid start stunning the Portland Trail Blazers on the road, 92–80 on November 3 in their first game.[8] Two nights later on November 5, the Grizzlies had a successful home debut at General Motors Place by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 100–98.[9] Despite the start, they struggled and lost their next 19 games. After 13 games, Benjamin was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Eric Murdock and second-year forward Eric Mobley,[10] while at midseason, Gattison was dealt to the Orlando Magic for Jeff Turner, who never played for the Grizzlies due to a knee injury.[11] The Grizzlies then suffered a dreadful 23-game losing streak during the second half of the season, and finished their inaugural season last place in the Midwest Division with an NBA worst record of 15 wins and 67 losses.[12]

Only four Grizzlies averaged 10 or more points per game, as Anthony averaged 14.0 points, 6.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while Reeves averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In addition, Edwards provided the team with 12.7 points and 1.4 steals per game, while Scott contributed 10.2 points per game off the bench as the team's sixth man, Murdock provided with 9.1 points and 2.0 steals per game off the bench, and King contributed 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.[13] In games against the other Canadian expansion team, the Grizzlies and the Raptors split two games.[14] Following the season, Scott re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers,[15] while Wilkins signed with the Orlando Magic, Murdock signed with the Denver Nuggets, Amaya signed with the Washington Bullets, and King, Avent and Turner were all released to free agency.

The Grizzlies' new logo would last until 2001, where the team moved to Memphis, Tennessee and replaced the word "Vancouver" with "Memphis" on the logo. The original logo lasted until 2004, while the new uniforms lasted until 2000.

Offseason

NBA Expansion Draft

The Grizzlies roster was filled during the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft. By way of winning a coin flip with the Toronto Raptors, Vancouver elected to choose the former, between a higher NBA Draft pick and the first pick in the NBA Expansion Draft, and therefore had the second pick in this draft. With their first pick, the Grizzlies selected point guard Greg Anthony from the New York Knicks.

Pick Player Position Nationality Former Team
2 Greg Anthony Point guard  United States New York Knicks
4 Rodney Dent Center  United States Orlando Magic
6 Antonio Harvey Forward  United States Los Angeles Lakers
8 Reggie Slater Power Forward-Center  United States Denver Nuggets
10 Trevor Ruffin Point guard  United States Phoenix Suns
12 Derrick Phelps Point guard  United States Sacramento Kings
14 Larry Stewart Power Forward  United States Washington Bullets
16 Kenny Gattison Power Forward  United States Charlotte Hornets
18 Byron Scott Shooting guard  United States Indiana Pacers
20 Gerald Wilkins Small forward  United States Cleveland Cavaliers
22 Benoit Benjamin Center  United States New Jersey Nets
24 Doug Edwards Forward  United States Atlanta Hawks
26 Blue Edwards Shooting guard  United States Utah Jazz

[16]

NBA draft
Main article: 1995 NBA draft

The Grizzlies first ever draft pick was Bryant Reeves.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 6 Bryant Reeves Center  United States Oklahoma State
2 36 Lawrence Moten Guard  United States Syracuse

Roster
1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F 18 Amaya, Ashraf 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1971–11–23 Southern Illinois
G 2 Anthony, Greg 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1967–11–15 UNLV
F 34 Avent, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969–10–18 Seton Hall
G 30 Edwards, Blue 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1965–10–31 East Carolina
F 32 Edwards, Doug 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1971–01–21 Florida State
F 17 King, Chris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1969–07–24 Wake Forest
C 15 Manning, Rich  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1970–06–23 Washington
G 40 Martin, Cuonzo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1971–09–23 Purdue
C 52 Mobley, Eric  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1970–02–01 Pittsburgh
G 7 Moten, Lawrence 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1972–03–25 Syracuse
G 14 Murdock, Eric 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–06–14 Providence
C 50 Reeves, Bryant 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1973–06–08 Oklahoma State
G 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State
F – Turner, Jeff  (IN) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1962–04–09 Vanderbilt
F 21 Wilkins, Gerald 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963–09–11 Chattanooga
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster

Roster Notes
  • Power forward Jeff Turner was acquired from the Orlando Magic at midseason, but did not play for the Grizzlies due to a knee injury.

First game
  • On November 3, 1995, Vancouver played their first ever game in Portland against the Trail Blazers and beat the Blazers by a score of 92–80. Benoit Benjamin scored a team high 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Regular season

Although they won their first two games in franchise history, the Grizzlies finished with the worst win–loss record in the 1995–96 NBA season, as is typical for an expansion team, and lost 23 straight games from February to April (setting an NBA single-season record now held by the Philadelphia 76ers with 27.)

Highs
  • On November 3, 1995, Vancouver plays their first ever game, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 92–80 in Portland. On November 5, 1995, the Grizzlies make their home debut, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 100–98 in overtime in front of 19,113 fans, to begin the season with a 2–0 record.
  • The Grizzlies defeat nearby rivals the Seattle SuperSonics by a single point in a hotly contested game on December 19, 1995. The crowd leaves ecstatic.
  • The Grizzlies hold the Miami Heat to only 65 points in a 69–65 victory on January 13, 1996.
  • Vancouver finishes the season on a positive note, defeating the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers on the road.

Lows
  • After starting the season 2–0, Vancouver would lose their next 19 games to quickly fall into last place in the Midwest Division.
  • Vancouver was held to a season low 62 points in a 111–62 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on November 8, 1995.
  • On December 10, 1995, the Grizzlies play the Toronto Raptors for the first time. The first NBA regular season game contested between two non-U.S. based teams. The game is held at General Motors Place in Vancouver. The Raptors win the game by a score of 93–81.
  • On April 2, 1996, Vancouver loses its 23rd straight game, losing 101–85 to the Portland Trail Blazers. The loss was also the Grizzlies 29th in their last 30 games.

Season standings
Midwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs5923.720–33–826–1519–5
x-Utah Jazz5527.671434–721–2014–10
x-Houston Rockets4834.5851127–1421–2015–9
Denver Nuggets3547.4272424–1711–3013–11
Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173317–249–3210–14
Dallas Mavericks2656.3173316–2510–3110–14
Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834410–315–363–21
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-Seattle SuperSonics *6418.780–82
2 y-San Antonio Spurs *5923.720582
3 x-Utah Jazz5527.671982
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461182
5 x-Houston Rockets4834.5851682
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372082
7 x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002382
8 x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762582
9 Golden State Warriors3646.4392882
10 Denver Nuggets3547.4272982
11 Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543582
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173882
13 Dallas Mavericks2656.3173882
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834982

Record vs. opponents
1995-96 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —4–03–10–43–11–11–12–21–11–11–32–00–22–22–21–14–02–12–22–10–22–02–00–20–24–01–12–01–3
Boston 0–4—2–20–31–30–21–12–10–21–10–42–00–23–13–12–02–20–41–34–01–10–22–00–20–23–10–21–12–2
Charlotte 1–32–2—1–33–12–02–01–30–20–21–31–12–02–23–11–10–33–00–43–12–01–11–10–20–23–11–12–03–1
Chicago 4–03–03–1—4–02–01–14–02–02–02–22–02–03–14–02–03–03–13–14–01–12–02–02–01–13–12–02–04–0
Cleveland 1–33–11–30–4—2–01–12–22–01–12–22–02–01–34–02–01–23–11–24–02–01–11–10–20–23–10–22–03–1
Dallas 1–12–00–20–20–2—2–20–22–21–30–22–20–40–21–10–41–10–21–10–21–30–42–22–22–21–11–34–00–2
Denver 1–11–10–21–11–12–2—1–12–21–30–21–32–20–21–14–00–21–11–12–03–10–40–40–41–32–03–13–11–1
Detroit 2–21–23–10–42–22–01–1—2–01–12–22–00–21–32–21–14–00–41–34–02–02–01–12–01–14–00–22–01–2
Golden State 1–12–02–00–20–22–22–20–2—2–21–13–11–31–11–13–12–00–20–22–01–31–31–31–30–41–11–34–01–1
Houston 1–11–12–00–21–13–13–11–12–2—2–04–03–10–22–02–22–00–20–22–03–12–22–21–30–42–02–24–01–1
Indiana 3–14–03–12–22–22–02–02–21–10–2—2–01–13–03–11–11–31–32–23–11–11–10–21–12–04–00–22–03–0
L.A. Clippers 0–20–21–10–20–22–23–10–21–30–40–2—0–41–11–13–11–11–10–22–03–12–22–21–30–40–21–33–11–1
L.A. Lakers 2–02–00–20–20–24–02–22–03–11–31–14–0—2–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–12–23–11–32–22–02–24–01–1
Miami 2–21–32–21–33–12–02–03–11–12–00–31–10–2—3–01–15–01–31–33–11–10–21–11–10–22–10–21–12–2
Milwaukee 2–21–31–30–40–41–11–12–21–10–21–31–10–20–3—1–11–32–21–32–10–22–00–21–10–22–20–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–10–21–10–20–24–00–41–11–32–21–11–31–31–11–1—1–10–20–21–11–30–43–11–30–41–11–32–20–2
New Jersey 0–42–23–00–32–11–12–00–40–20–23–11–10–20–53–11–1—2–20–42–20–21–11–10–20–22–20–22–02–2
New York 1–24–00–31–31–32–01–14–02–02–03–11–11–13–12–22–02–2—1–33–10–20–20–21–11–14–01–11–13–1
Orlando 2–23–14–01–32–11–11–13–12–02–02–22–01–13–13–12–04–03–1—4–02–01–11–11–11–12–11–12–04–0
Philadelphia 1–20–41–30–40–42–00–20–40–20–21–30–21–11–31–21–12–21–30–4—0–20–20–20–20–23–11–11–11–3
Phoenix 2–01–10–21–10–23–11–30–23–11–31–11–31–31–12–03–12–02–00–22–0—2–22–21–30–42–01–34–02–0
Portland 0–22–01–10–21–14–04–00–23–12–21–12–22–22–00–24–01–12–01–12–02–2—1–31–31–32–01–32–20–2
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–21–12–24–01–13–12–22–02–21–31–12–01–31–12–01–12–02–23–1—1–30–42–00–42–20–2
San Antonio 2–02–02–00–22–02–24–00–23–13–11–13–13–11–11–13–12–01–11–12–03–13–13–1—2–22–03–14–01–1
Seattle 2–02–02–01–12–02–23–11–14–04–00–24–02–22–02–04–02–01–11–12–04–03–14–02–2—1–13–13–11–1
Toronto 0–41–31–31–31–31–10–20–41–10–20–42–00–21–22–21–12–20–41–21–30–20–20–20–21–1—0–21–13–1
Utah 1–12–01–10–22–03–11–32–03–12–22–03–12–22–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–13–14–01–31–32–0—4–01–1
Vancouver 0–21–10–20–20–20–41–30–20–40–40–21–30–41–11–12–20–21–10–21–10–42–22–20–41–31–10–4—0–2
Washington 3–12–21–30–41–32–01–12–11–11–10–31–11–12–23–12–02–21–30–43–10–22–02–01–11–11–31–12–0—

Game log
#DateOpponentScoreRecordStreak
1November 3@ Portland Trail Blazers92–801–0Won 1
2November 5Minnesota Timberwolves100–98 (OT)2–0Won 2
3November 7@ Dallas Mavericks88–992–1Lost 1
4November 8@ San Antonio Spurs62–1112–2Lost 2
5November 10Los Angeles Clippers91–982–3Lost 3
6November 11@ Seattle SuperSonics81–1172–4Lost 4
7November 13Dallas Mavericks89–942–5Lost 5
8November 16@ Los Angeles Clippers98–1032–6Lost 6
9November 17Los Angeles Lakers91–1142–7Lost 7
10November 19@ New York Knicks93–982–8Lost 8
11November 22@ Orlando Magic93–952–9Lost 9
12November 24@ Charlotte Hornets104–1162–10Lost 10
13November 25@ Miami Heat91–1112–11Lost 11
14November 28@ Minnesota Timberwolves98–1212–12Lost 12
15November 30Chicago Bulls88–942–13Lost 13
16December 1@ Los Angeles Lakers100–1132–14Lost 14
17December 3Milwaukee Bucks95–1092–15Lost 15
18December 5@ Phoenix Suns108–1122–16Lost 16
19December 7Detroit Pistons84–932–17Lost 17
20December 10Toronto Raptors81–932–18Lost 18
21December 13Houston Rockets89–1002–19Lost 19
22December 15Portland Trail Blazers104–100 (OT)3–19Won 1
23December 16Golden State Warriors85–1163–20Lost 1
24December 18@ Sacramento Kings85–923–21Lost 2
25December 19Seattle SuperSonics94–934–21Won 1
26December 21@ Seattle SuperSonics68–924–22Lost 1
27December 22Phoenix Suns80–1014–23Lost 2
28December 26@ Houston Rockets84–1004–24Lost 3
29December 28@ Dallas Mavericks101–103 (2OT)4–25Lost 4
30December 30Boston Celtics103–955–25Won 1
31January 5Philadelphia 76ers103–102 (OT)6–25Won 2
32January 7Los Angeles Clippers93–1016–26Lost 1
33January 9@ Golden State Warriors103–1096–27Lost 2
34January 10Denver Nuggets85–916–28Lost 3
35January 12Golden State Warriors95–1046–29Lost 4
36January 13Miami Heat69–657–29Won 1
37January 18Cleveland Cavaliers90–987–30Lost 1
38January 20New York Knicks84–808–30Won 1
39January 22@ Milwaukee Bucks100–929–30Won 2
40January 24@ Chicago Bulls84–1049–31Lost 1
41January 25@ Toronto Raptors106–101 (OT)10–31Won 1
42January 27@ Washington Bullets77–10210–32Lost 1
43January 29@ Philadelphia 76ers92–10310–33Lost 2
44January 31@ Boston Celtics98–13110–34Lost 3
45February 2New Jersey Nets84–9310–35Lost 4
46February 5Utah Jazz83–9210–36Lost 5
47February 7@ Utah Jazz79–10210–37Lost 6
48February 14Sacramento Kings93–8611–37Won 1
49February 16Atlanta Hawks100–11011–38Lost 1
50February 18Seattle SuperSonics109–11811–39Lost 2
51February 19@ Phoenix Suns94–98 (OT)11–40Lost 3
52February 25San Antonio Spurs84–9511–41Lost 4
53February 28Los Angeles Lakers80–9911–42Lost 5
54March 1Dallas Mavericks111–11911–43Lost 6
55March 2@ Denver Nuggets82–10811–44Lost 7
56March 4Washington Bullets81–9611–45Lost 8
57March 5@ Golden State Warriors78–11011–46Lost 9
58March 8Indiana Pacers80–9411–47Lost 10
59March 10Houston Rockets89–9511–48Lost 11
60March 11@ Sacramento Kings88–9211–49Lost 12
61March 15Orlando Magic87–92 (OT)11–50Lost 13
62March 17@ Minnesota Timberwolves85–9011–51Lost 14
63March 19@ New Jersey Nets77–8211–52Lost 15
64March 20@ Atlanta Hawks93–9811–53Lost 16
65March 22@ Indiana Pacers94–11111–54Lost 17
66March 24@ Cleveland Cavaliers85–9011–55Lost 18
67March 26@ Detroit Pistons75–8611–56Lost 19
68March 28Denver Nuggets88–9211–57Lost 20
69March 29@ Utah Jazz91–10511–58Lost 21
70March 31Charlotte Hornets88–12111–59Lost 22
71April 2@ Portland Trail Blazers85–10111–60Lost 23
72April 3Minnesota Timberwolves105–10312–60Won 1
73April 5@ Los Angeles Lakers94–10412–61Lost 1
74April 7Phoenix Suns92–11212–62Lost 2
75April 9@ Houston Rockets84–9012–63Lost 3
76April 10@ San Antonio Spurs82–10512–64Lost 4
77April 12Sacramento Kings99–9813–64Won 1
78April 14Portland Trail Blazers79–8113–65Lost 1
79April 16San Antonio Spurs86–9513–66Lost 2
80April 18Utah Jazz79–9413–67Lost 3
81April 19@ Denver Nuggets92–7814–67Won 1
82April 21@ Los Angeles Clippers108–10115–67Won 2

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ashraf Amaya 543420.4.480.000.6515.60.60.40.26.3
Greg Anthony 696830.4.415.332.7712.56.91.70.214.0
Anthony Avent 713222.3.384.000.7405.01.00.40.65.8
Benoit Benjamin 131331.1.441.000.6967.91.20.81.213.9
Blue Edwards 828233.8.419.343.7554.22.61.40.612.7
Doug Edwards 31016.7.352.000.7632.81.30.30.63.0
Kenny Gattison 251422.8.479.000.6034.60.60.40.49.2
Antonio Harvey 18622.8.411.000.4655.20.50.81.25.4
Chris King 806624.1.427.389.6623.61.30.90.47.9
Rich Manning 29010.7.434.000.6431.90.20.10.23.7
Cuonzo Martin 404.8.6001.000.0000.50.50.30.02.3
Darrick Martin 24016.8.450.227.8261.62.51.10.06.7
Eric Mobley 34118.0.550.500.4463.80.60.40.75.4
Lawrence Moten 44313.0.453.327.6531.41.10.70.26.6
Eric Murdock 641423.1.422.320.8092.44.62.00.19.1
Bryant Reeves 776331.9.457.000.7327.41.40.60.713.3
Byron Scott 80023.7.401.335.8352.41.50.80.310.2
Gerald Wilkins 281426.4.376.219.8702.32.40.80.16.7

Franchise firsts

On opening night, the Grizzlies would spoil the Portland Trail Blazers debut at the Rose Garden Arena by defeating them. A few nights later, the Grizzlies would play their first home game, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves at the buzzer.

Awards and records

References
  1. 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies
  2. Brown, Clifton (November 3, 1995). "PRO BASKETBALL; Now Playing in the N.B.A., the Raptors and the Grizzlies". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  3. "Vancouver Grizzlies Logo". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  4. "Vancouver Grizzlies Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  5. "Vancouver Grizzlies Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  6. "PRO BASKETBALL; Anthony Is No. 2 Of the Secaucus 27". New York Times. June 25, 1995. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  7. "PRO BASKETBALL; Underclassmen Rule Atop N.B.A. Draft Board". New York Times. June 29, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  8. "Grizzlies Win Behind Benjamin". New York Times. November 4, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  9. "Grizzlies 100, Timberwolves 98 (OT)". UPI Archives. November 6, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  10. "Grizzlies Trade Benjamin Away To Bucks". Los Angeles Times. November 28, 1995. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  11. "MAGIC DEAL TURNER TO GRIZZLIES". Orlando Sentinel. February 23, 1996. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  12. "1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  13. "1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  14. Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2001)
  15. "Lakers Are Near Deal With Scott". Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1996. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  16. "1995 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
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