10 stars you might have forgot played for the Memphis Grizzlies
By Amaar Burton
The Memphis Grizzlies have suited up a few Hall of Famers and former superstars for brief stints in the franchise’s short history.
A relatively young NBA franchise at just 25 years old, the Memphis Grizzlies haven’t had a lot of big-name players spend a significant amount of time donning their uniform.
Whether it’s star power, statistical achievements or individual accolades, the Grizzlies’ history book pales in comparison to marquee franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. Even some newer teams like the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have been blessed with more legends either in their primes or at the beginning of their careers, leading to championship results.
It’s quite telling that the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in points, assists, steals, 3-pointers and games played — point guard Mike Conley Jr., who spent 12 seasons in Memphis — has never made an NBA All-Star Game himself.
The Grizzlies have had three players who earned All-Star accolades while playing for the team: Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Shareef Abdur-Rahim put up All-Star caliber numbers for years with the Grizzlies (when they were in Vancouver), but he didn’t secure his first All-Star invitation until the year after the Grizzlies traded him to the Atlanta Hawks.
Some other highly decorated players had forgettable tenures with the Grizzlies, often past their primes or in transition from one stop to the next in their careers.
Here are 10 standouts you might have forgot played for the Grizzlies: