1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies season explained

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 the 1946–47 Toronto Huskies.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]} The Grizzlies revealed a new primary logo of a grizzly bear holding a basketball,^[7] and got new uniforms with Native American markings on the trims of their jerseys, adding turquoise and brown to their color scheme.^{[8] [9]}

In the 1995 NBA expansion draft, the team selected veteran players like Greg Anthony, Blue Edwards, Byron Scott, Benoit Benjamin, Gerald Wilkins and Kenny Gattison.^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]} The team also signed free agents Chris King and undrafted rookie forward Ashraf Amaya, and acquired Anthony Avent from the Orlando Magic.^{[15] [16]} The Grizzlies received the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected center Bryant Reeves out of Oklahoma State University.^{[17] [18] [19] [20] [21]} The team also hired Brian Winters as their first ever head coach.^{[22] [23]}

In their NBA debut on November 3, 1995, the Grizzlies got off to a solid start defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on the road, 92–80.^{[24] [25] [26]} Two nights later on November 5, the Grizzlies had a successful home debut at General Motors Place by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 100–98.^{[27] [28] [29]} However, despite winning their first two games, the team struggled and posted a dreadful 19-game losing streak afterwards, leading to an awful 2–19 start to the season.^{[30] [31]} After 13 games, Benjamin was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Eric Murdock and second-year forward Eric Mobley,^{[32] [33] [34] [35]} while at midseason, Gattison was dealt to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Jeff Turner, who never played for the Grizzlies due to a knee injury.^{[36] [37] [38]} After holding a 10–37 record at the All-Star break,^[39] the Grizzlies then suffered a dreadful 23-game losing streak between February and April, including a winless month in March,^{[40] [41]} and finished their inaugural season last place in the Midwest Division with an NBA worst record of 15 wins and 67 losses.^[42]

Anthony was the team's scoring leader, averaging 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, and Edwards provided the team with 12.7 points and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Scott played a sixth man role, averaging 10.2 points per game off the bench, while Murdock contributed 9.1 points and 2.0 steals per game also off the bench, and King provided with 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Wilkins averaged 6.7 points per game, but only played just 28 games due to back and Achilles tendon injuries,^{[43] [44] [45]} while second round draft pick Lawrence Moten contributed 6.6 points per game, Amaya averaged 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Avent provided with 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.^[46]

Following the season, Scott re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers,^{[47] [48] [49]} while Wilkins signed with the Orlando Magic,^{[44] [45] [50]} Murdock signed with the Denver Nuggets,^[51] Amaya signed with the Washington Bullets, and King, Avent and Turner were all released to free agency. The Grizzlies' new logo would remain in use 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		New York Knicks
4	Rodney Dent	Center		Orlando Magic
6	Antonio Harvey	Forward		Los Angeles Lakers
8	Reggie Slater	Power forward-center		Denver Nuggets
10	Trevor Ruffin	Point guard		Phoenix Suns
12	Derrick Phelps	Point guard		Sacramento Kings
14	Larry Stewart	Power forward		Washington Bullets
16	Kenny Gattison	Power forward		Charlotte Hornets
18	Byron Scott	Shooting guard		Indiana Pacers
20	Gerald Wilkins	Small forward		Cleveland Cavaliers
22	Benoit Benjamin	Center		New Jersey Nets
24	Doug Edwards	Forward		Atlanta Hawks
26	Blue Edwards	Shooting guard		Utah Jazz

^[14]

NBA draft

See 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		Oklahoma State
2	36	Lawrence Moten	Guard		Syracuse

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.

Record vs. opponents

1995-96 NBA Records
width=100	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
	—	4–0	3–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–3
	0–4	—	2–2	0–3	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	0–4	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–2
	1–3	2–2	—	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	0–3	3–0	0–4	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1
	4–0	3–0	3–1	—	4–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–0	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	4–0
	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	—	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	1–2	3–1	1–2	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	—	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1
	2–2	1–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	4–0	0–4	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–2
	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1
	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	—	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	—	2–0	1–1	3–0	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–0
	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	—	0–4	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	4–0	—	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–3	1–1	0–2	—	3–0	1–1	5–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–1	0–2	1–1	2–2
	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–3	—	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–3
	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2
	0–4	2–2	3–0	0–3	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	0–5	3–1	1–1	—	2–2	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–2
	1–2	4–0	0–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	—	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	3–1
	2–2	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	—	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	4–0
	1–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	—	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–3
	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	—	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0
	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	0–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	—	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–3	2–2	0–2
	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	—	1–3	0–4	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2
	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	—	2–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	0–2	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	4–0	2–2	—	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1
	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	1–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	—	0–2	1–1	3–1
	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	2–0	—	4–0	1–1
Vancouver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	—	0–2
Washington	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	0–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	—

Game log

	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Attendance
1	November 3		92–80	1–0	19,115
2	November 5		100–98 (OT)	2–0	19,193
3	November 7		88–99	2–1	15,325
4	November 8		62–111	2–2	12,355
5	November 10		91–98	2–3	17,345
6	November 11		81–117	2–4	17,102
7	November 13		89–94	2–5	17,171
8	November 16		98–103	2–6	10,169
9	November 17		91–114	2–7	19,193
10	November 19		93–98	2–8	19,763
11	November 22		93–95	2–9	17,248
12	November 24		104–116	2–10	24,042
13	November 25		91–111	2–11	14,293
14	November 28		98–121	2–12	10,251
15	November 30		88–94	2–13	19,193
16	December 1		100–113	2–14	12,426
17	December 3		95–109	2–15	14,149
18	December 5		108–112	2–16	19,023
19	December 7		84–93	2–17	14,685
20	December 10		81–93	2–18	17,438
21	December 13		89–100	2–19	15,715
22	December 15		104–100 (OT)	3–19	15,236
23	December 16		85–116	3–20	15,539
24	December 18		85–92	3–21	17,317
25	December 19		94–93	4–21	16,701
26	December 21		68–92	4–22	17,072
27	December 22		80–101	4–23	17,636
28	December 26		84–100	4–24	16,285
29	December 28		101–103 (2OT)	4–25	17,502
30	December 30		103–95	5–25	19,193
31	January 5		103–102 (OT)	6–25	17,870
32	January 7		93–101	6–26	18,089
33	January 9		103–109	6–27	15,025
34	January 10		85–91	6–28	15,416
35	January 12		95–104	6–29	16,581
36	January 13		69–65	7–29	17,532
37	January 18		90–98	7–30	16,805
38	January 20		84–80	8–30	19,193
39	January 22		100–92	9–30	13,488
40	January 24		84–104	9–31	23,652
41	January 25		106–101 (OT)	10–31	21,378
42	January 27		77–102	10–32	18,756
43	January 29		92–103	10–33	8,422
44	January 31		98–131	10–34	17,025
45	February 2		84–93	10–35	16,141
46	February 5		83–92	10–36	15,827
47	February 7		79–102	10–37	19,911
48	February 14		93–86	11–37	15,391
49	February 16		100–110	11–38	15,664
50	February 18		109–118	11–39	19,193
51	February 19		94–98 (OT)	11–40	19,023
52	February 25		84–95	11–41	16,598
53	February 28		80–99	11–42	19,193
54	March 1		111–119	11–43	15,656
55	March 2		82–108	11–44	15,832
56	March 4		81–96	11–45	15,996
57	March 5		78–110	11–46	15,025
58	March 8		80–94	11–47	16,451
59	March 10		89–95	11–48	19,193
60	March 11		88–92	11–49	17,317
61	March 15		87–92 (OT)	11–50	19,193
62	March 17		85–90	11–51	12,228
63	March 19		77–82	11–52	10,621
64	March 20		93–98	11–53	8,297
65	March 22		94–111	11–54	16,715
66	March 24		85–90	11–55	18,108
67	March 26		75–86	11–56	15,781
68	March 28		88–92	11–57	16,889
69	March 29		91–105	11–58	19,911
70	March 31		88–121	11–59	18,147
71	April 2		85–101	11–60	19,868
72	April 3		105–103	12–60	16,216
73	April 5		94–104	12–61	17,505
74	April 7		92–112	12–62	19,193
75	April 9		84–90	12–63	16,285
76	April 10		82–105	12–64	17,269
77	April 12		99–98	13–64	18,619
78	April 14		79–81	13–65	16,522
79	April 16		86–95	13–66	16,127
80	April 18		79–94	13–67	18,407
81	April 19		92–78	14–67	15,119
82	April 21		108–101	15–67	13,298

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player
	SF	82	82	2,773	346	212	118	46	1,043	33.8	4.2	2.6	1.4	.6	12.7
	SF	80	66	1,930	285	104	68	33	634	24.1	3.6	1.3	.9	.4	7.9
	SG	80	0	1,894	192	123	63	22	819	23.7	2.4	1.5	.8	.3	10.2
	C	77	63	2,460	570	109	43	55	1,021	31.9	7.4	1.4	.6	.7	13.3
	PF	71	32	1,586	355	69	30	42	415	22.3	5.0	1.0	.4	.6	5.8
	PG	69	68	2,096	174	476	116	11	967	30.4	2.5	6.9	1.7	.2	14.0
^†	PG	64	14	1,480	155	292	129	9	585	23.1	2.4	4.6	2.0	.1	9.1
	PF	54	34	1,104	303	33	22	10	339	20.4	5.6	.6	.4	.2	6.3
	SG	44	3	573	61	50	29	8	291	13.0	1.4	1.1	.7	.2	6.6
^†	C	34	1	611	128	22	13	23	182	18.0	3.8	.6	.4	.7	5.4
	PF	31	0	519	87	39	10	18	93	16.7	2.8	1.3	.3	.6	3.0
	PF	29	0	311	55	7	3	6	107	10.7	1.9	.2	.1	.2	3.7
	SG	28	14	738	65	68	22	2	188	26.4	2.3	2.4	.8	.1	6.7
	PF	25	14	570	114	14	10	11	229	22.8	4.6	.6	.4	.4	9.2
^†	PG	24	0	402	38	61	27	1	161	16.8	1.6	2.5	1.1	.0	6.7
^†	PF	18	6	410	94	9	14	21	98	22.8	5.2	.5	.8	1.2	5.4
^†	C	13	13	404	103	16	10	15	181	31.1	7.9	1.2	.8	1.2	13.9
	SG	4	0	19	2	2	1	0	9	4.8	.5	.5	.3	.0	2.3

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

• Bryant Reeves, Second Team, NBA All-Rookie Team

References

• Grizzlies on Database Basketball
• Grizzlies on Basketball Reference
• Expansion Draft Details

Notes and References

1. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/VAN/1996.html 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies
2. News: Associated Press . PRO BASKETBALL; Vancouver Gets N.B.A. Team . The New York Times . April 28, 1994 . September 16, 2022.
3. News: Staff and Wire Reports . Vancouver to Join NBA as Expansion Team . Los Angeles Times . April 28, 1994 . December 21, 2022.
4. News: Thomas Jr. . Robert Mcg. . April 24–30; N.B.A. Jumps the Border . The New York Times . May 1, 1994 . November 19, 2022.
5. News: Brown . Clifton . PRO BASKETBALL; Now Playing in the N.B.A., the Raptors and the Grizzlies . The New York Times . November 3, 1995 . March 9, 2022.
6. News: Farber . Michael . Whoa, Canada! When the NBA Hit the Court in Toronto and Vancouver, It Was Clear Both Fans and Players Had a Lot to Learn - Sports Illustrated Vault . Sports Illustrated Vault . November 20, 1995 . January 30, 2023.
7. News: Vancouver Grizzlies Logo . Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net. July 8, 2021.
8. News: Vancouver Grizzlies Uniform . Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net . July 8, 2021.
9. News: Vancouver Grizzlies Uniform . Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net . July 8, 2021.
10. News: Wise . Mike . PRO BASKETBALL; Anthony Is No. 2 of the Secaucus 27 . The New York Times . June 25, 1995 . January 14, 2022.
11. News: Heisler . Mark . Armstrong Becomes Top Expansion Pick: NBA: Raptors Take Guard from Bulls. Massenburg Also Headed to Toronto, While Lakers Lose Harvey to Vancouver . Los Angeles Times . June 25, 1995 . December 20, 2022.
12. News: Smith . Sam . Toronto Picks Armstrong; May Not Trade Him . Chicago Tribune . June 25, 1995 . July 8, 2023.
13. News: Associated Press . NBA Expansion Draft -- Point Guards Are Top Priority for Young Raptors, Grizzlies . The Seattle Times . June 25, 1995 . January 31, 2023.
14. Web site: 1995 NBA Expansion Draft . Basketball-Reference . February 1, 2022.
15. News: Romano . John . Grizzlies Deal for Magic's Avent . Tampa Bay Times . November 2, 1995 . September 16, 2022.
16. News: Basketball Briefs . Deseret News . November 2, 1995 . January 30, 2023.
17. News: Wise . Mike . PRO BASKETBALL; Underclassmen Rule Atop N.B.A. Draft Board . The New York Times . June 29, 1995 . July 5, 2021.
18. News: Heisler . Mark . NBA Is a Young Man's Game: Draft: Smith, McDyess, Stackhouse, Wallace and Garnett Lead the Way . Los Angeles Times . June 29, 1995 . December 3, 2022.
19. News: Associated Press . NBA DRAFT: Clippers Deal No. 2 McDyess to Nuggets: Pro Basketball: L.A. Gets Rodney Rogers and Rights to Oregon State's Brent Barry. O'Bannon Goes Ninth to New Jersey, and Zidek Is Selected No. 22 by Charlotte . Los Angeles Times . June 29, 1995 . July 24, 2022.
20. News: Nakamura . David . Joe Goes West as Warriors Make Smith No. 1 Pick . The Washington Post . June 29, 1995 . June 3, 2023.
21. Web site: 1995 NBA Draft . Basketball-Reference . December 1, 2022.
22. News: Grizzlies Name Winters Head Coach . United Press International . June 19, 1995 . December 21, 2022.
23. News: Grizzlies Hire Winters . Orlando Sentinel . June 20, 1995 . December 21, 2022.
24. News: Associated Press . Grizzlies Win Behind Benjamin . The New York Times . November 4, 1995 . July 5, 2021.
25. News: Staff and Wire Reports . NBA ROUNDUP: Grizzlies, Raptors Welcome Reality with Big Victories . Los Angeles Times . November 4, 1995 . July 25, 2022.
26. Web site: Vancouver Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, November 3, 1995 . Basketball-Reference . January 4, 2023.
27. News: Grizzlies 100, Timberwolves 98 (OT) . United Press International . November 6, 1995 . July 5, 2021.
28. News: Associated Press . Rockets Still Own the Suns . Deseret News . November 6, 1995 . October 5, 2022.
29. Web site: Minnesota Timberwolves at Vancouver Grizzlies Box Score, November 5, 1995 . Basketball-Reference . January 4, 2023.
30. News: Grizzlies End Streak with Win VS. Portland . The Washington Post . December 16, 1995 . October 7, 2022.
31. News: Murphy . Austin . Down......But Not Out as Their NBA-Record Losing Streak Hit 22, the Luckless Grizzlies Got an F for Futility, But an A for Effort . Sports Illustrated Vault . April 8, 1996 . April 6, 2023.
32. News: Grizzlies Trade Benjamin to Bucks . United Press International . November 27, 1995 . September 24, 2022.
33. News: Associated Press . Grizzlies Trade Benjamin Away to Bucks . Los Angeles Times . November 28, 1995 . July 29, 2021.
34. News: Fair Trade? Grizz Only Get 2 Bucks for Benjamin . Deseret News . November 28, 1995 . July 5, 2023.
35. News: Bucks Deal for Benjamin . Tampa Bay Times . November 28, 1995 . December 13, 2022.
36. News: Johnson . L.C. . Magic Deal Turner to Grizzlies . Orlando Sentinel . February 23, 1996 . October 13, 2021.
37. News: Associated Press . Hardaway Heads for the Heat in Trade . Los Angeles Times . February 23, 1996 . September 24, 2022.
38. News: Romano . John . Strategy Was Bulls' Best Tool . Tampa Bay Times . February 28, 1996 . January 4, 2023.
39. News: NBA Games Played on February 8, 1996 . Basketball-Reference . January 2, 2023.
40. News: Associated Press . Grizzlies End the Futility . The New York Times . April 4, 1996 . October 7, 2022.
41. News: Grizzlies 105, Timberwolves 103 . United Press International . April 6, 2023.
42. Web site: 1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies Schedule and Results. Basketball-Reference. July 1, 2021.
43. News: Howard-Cooper . Scott . Smaller Lakers Come Up Big . Los Angeles Times . April 6, 1996 . April 6, 2023.
44. News: League Voids Howard's Contract with Heat . Tampa Bay Times . August 1, 1996 . June 6, 2023.
45. News: Orlando Signs Gerald Wilkins . United Press International . August 1, 1996 . June 30, 2022.
46. Web site: 1995–96 Vancouver Grizzlies Roster and Stats. Basketball-Reference. July 1, 2021.
47. News: Lakers Are Near Deal with Scott . Los Angeles Times . September 30, 1996 . January 18, 2022.
48. News: Steele . David . WEDNESDAY SPECIAL -- NBA PREVIEW: 1996-97 NBA Team-by-team . SFGate . October 30, 1996 . October 22, 2022.
49. News: Heisler . Mark . NBA Preview . Los Angeles Times . October 31, 1996 . January 30, 2023.
50. News: Povtak . Tim . Wilkins Is Back Knock on Wood . Orlando Sentinel . November 13, 1996 . December 21, 2022.
51. News: Associated Press . Jackson Can Shop Himself at a Whim . Deseret News . November 30, 1996 . April 6, 2023.