Ask the Memphian: Why is the Memphis NBA team named the Grizzlies? (There's more to it than you think.)

Geoff Calkins On Demand: Just Posted

Ask the Memphian: Why is the Memphis NBA team named the Grizzlies? (There’s more to it than you think.)

Updated: May 19, 2025 4:00 AM CT

You know the Memphis NBA team is named the Grizzlies became they moved from Vancouver. But why did the Vancouver team have that name?

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Geoff Calkins

Columnist

Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.

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