Where will Cam Boozer rank in the history of Grizzlies rookie debuts?
Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer (27) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic at FedExForum on Oct. 7, 2026. (Wes Hale/Special to the Daily Memphian)
When Cam Boozer takes the FedExForum floor against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, he will do so as the fifth Top 3 pick since the team arrived in Memphis and the first Grizzly to open his career as a Rookie of the Year favorite.
Actually winning the award — a tough task given the quality of Boozer’s rookie class — would not break new franchise ground, of course.
Two of those previous Top 3 picks — Pau Gasol (#3, 2001) and Ja Morant (#2, 2019) — have already been to the Rookie of the Year pedestal. Another — O.J. Mayo (#3, 2008) — was the runner-up. The remaining Top 3 pick was Hasheem Thabeet (#2, 2009) and, well …
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Cam Boozer Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant Cedric Coward Marc Gasol Rudy Gay Dillon Brooks Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He now splits his time between Minneapolis-St. Paul, where his wife works, and Memphis.
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