It was October 31, 2008, the Grizzlies second game of the season and home opener against the Orlando Magic. Rudy Gay came around a screen set by Marc Gasol to catch and shoot an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to deliver the Grizzlies their first home opener win since the franchise had moved from Vancouver to Memphis.
That shot signaled not only the evolution of the Memphis Grizzlies but the lengthy career of Rudy Gay who just announced his retirement on October 29th. He went on to hit five career game-winning shots which included three buzzer-beaters while with the Memphis Grizzlies. He is the all-time leader in buzzer-beating shots for the Memphis Grizzlies.
His Grizzlies' career is mostly remembered for the success the team had after trading him to the Toronto Raptors in 2013. The Grizzlies had their most successful playoff run in the team's history, making the Western Conference Finals that season.
As time continues to move forward, the player that Rudy Gay was for Memphis garners more respect as he was a huge part of the franchise's transition from irrelevancy to relevancy. He joined the team as a rookie lottery pick in 2006 that was coming off of three straight playoff appearances and first-round losses (all sweeps) and transitioning into a rebuild.
He played one season and a half with the initial Grizzlies staple, Pau Gasol before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Before Zach Randolph joined the Grizzlies in 2009, the team's rebuilding core revolved around Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley Jr., and Marc Gasol.
On February 15, 2011, Rudy Gay suffered a left shoulder subluxation injury that ended his season. The Grizzlies made the playoffs as an eighth seed and upset the San Antonio Spurs in the first round before falling in game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
The following season he returned and helped lead the Grizzlies to the fourth seed and took the brunt of the blame for the Grizzlies' first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012. What followed was trade rumors and the eventual trading of him ahead of the 2013 trade deadline.
Rudy Gay's love for the Memphis Grizzlies and the city of Memphis never wavered, as expressed in his retirement announcement. He averaged 17.9 points per game in seven and a half years with the Memphis Grizzlies and despite the team's successful run that followed his trade, the Grizzlies lacked a wing player of his caliber until the emergence of GG Jackson last season.
This day 16 years ago gave the Memphis Grizzlies franchise a shot in the arm to expedite their rebuild after the trade of Marc Gasol. Rudy Gay's impact on the Memphis Grizzlies franchise was felt and can't be overlooked when thinking back on the history of the Memphis Grizzlies.