In the course of the Vancouver Grizzlies’ six seasons, 460 games, and 101 wins, a total of 62 players laced up their sneakers for the team.
None still play in the NBA.
Some are still known to this day in Vancouver. Others have become a footnote in the team’s history.
But for the sake of completion, here’s a brief look at every person who played for the Grizzlies—and what they’re currently up to.
READ MORE: An oral history of the Vancouver Grizzlies
Multiple seasons with the team
1. Bryant “Big Country” Reeves (395 games, 1995-2001): No player—for better or worse—was more synonymous with the Vancouver Grizzlies than the 7-foot-tall centre from Oklahoma State.
The sixth pick in the 1995 NBA draft, Reeves was given an infamous six-year, $61.8-million contract extension prior to the 1997-1998 season. And while he was an above-average centre that year, injuries and fitness problems derailed his final three season in Vancouver.
He was the team’s first draft pick, the only person to play all six years for Vancouver…and when the team moved to Memphis, he never played another NBA regular season game.
Loved by teammates, alternately derided or ironically loved by fans, Reeves never criticized Vancouver while playing for the team, and often spoke of his love for the country.
“It was an adjustment,” his wife April said during the team’s final season. “Neither of us had lived in a city of 2 million. The biggest adjustment was being in Canada. You go through customs every time you go home.”
“Vancouver is just different. It’s gorgeous country. We just prefer Gans.”
Today, Reeves lives on a large cattle ranch near the small town of Gans, Oklahoma with his family. Since retiring in 2002, he has never publicly commented about his time with the Grizzlies.
2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (375 games, 1996-2001): Vancouver’s all-time leading in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, Abdur-Rahim was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason when the team moved to Memphis, eventually retiring as a Sacramento King in 2008.
“The hardest part of this for me is I’ve always been made to feel so at home here,” he said after the team’s final home game in 2001.
“I’ve been blessed to play here. I came here as a young man and I think I’ve grown into a man. I was a baby when I came here. This city embraced me and never really had a bad word.”
Abdur-Rahim spent several years in the Kings front office before resigning in 2014. He also founded Future Foundation, a non-profit in his home town of Atlanta, which offers services to at-risk youth.
3. Blue Edwards (224 games, 1995-1998): The Grizzlies’ starting shooting guard in their inaugural season and a dependable sixth man for two more years, Edwards signed with the Miami Heat in 1999, but only played 24 games before retiring.
Edwards, who now lives and coaches basketball in North Carolina, is perhaps best known in Vancouver for a child custody battle stemming from a son Edwards had with a Burnaby waitress in 1997, which eventually reached the Supreme Court of Canada in 2001. The case was later made into a Lifetime TV Movie entitled “What Color is Love?”.
“Coming here and the stuff I went through here, kind of got me ready for the latter part of my career,” said Bibby in a recent stop in Vancouver.
“It was kind of scary being a kid and going to another country. I had to grow up real quick. I was 19 just turning 20, moving to another country with my own kids. I was scared in that aspect.”
Bibby is now a basketball coach at Phoenix Shadow Mountain High, where his son plays.
(Photo credit: Jon Ferrey/Allsport)
Chilcutt played one more season in the NBA after leaving the Grizzlies in 1999 before retiring. He has spent the last several years as an math and science teacher in the Sacramento area.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
Mayberry was a scout for the Golden State Warriors for several years, and is now part of the coaching staff at the University of Arkansas, where he starred for the Razorbacks from 1988 to 1992.
(Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)
An NBA journeyman who played for a record 12 different teams, Massenburg retired following the 2004-2005 season with the San Antonio Spurs, and currently serves as an analyst for Comcast SportsNet Washington.
While Massenburg was generally complimentary of Vancouver during his time here, he later told NBA.com “there are things you can’t get in Vancouver, like Cap’n Crunch.”
(Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)
8. Michael Dickerson (152 games, 1999-2001): The key piece coming back to Vancouver when the Grizzlies traded away Steve Francis, Dickerson played two productive years before the team moved to Memphis—but only played 10 games in two seasons thereafter because of injuries.
After his retirement, Dickerson travelled the world, but eventually spent many years living in Vancouver part-time, even helping out the UBC Thunderbirds at practices.
“Vancouver has always been my love,” Dickerson told The Province in 2010. “I have always loved it here. I never wanted to leave here. I was probably the only one on the Grizzlies that never wanted to leave.”
Anthony went on to play several more seasons for four different teams before retiring in 2002. He has gone to a successful career as an analyst for CBS and Turner Sports.
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)
10. Othella Harrington (126 games, 1999-2001): A key player in the Steve Francis trade, Harrington was never quiet about his disdain for Vancouver in his two years with the team. When Bill Laurie gave up on his attempt to buy the team and move it to St. Louis, he saidm “It’s a sad day for Vancouver.”
He once claimed that the cream in Oreo cookies was different in Canada, and was eventually nicknamed “Rain Man” because of his regular complaints about the weather.
Harrington eventually got his wish and was traded to the New York Knicks in 2001, and played seven more seasons. He spent the last four seasons as Director of Basketball Operations for the Georgetown University, but left the program this summer.
11. George Lynch (123 games, 1996-1998): A depth forward, Lynch played two solid years for Vancouver as a power forward and occasional starter.
But he thrived after leaving the Grizzlies, playing a starting role on playoffs teams in Philadelphia, Charlotte, and New Orleans.
“Shareef and I both played the same position, and I didn’t see a lot of playing time, and he was a lottery pick. It worked out for me, I became a starter in Philly,” said Lynch, who is now Director of Player Personnel for SMU University.
(Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Allsport)
Lopez, who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated while in university, suffered from the “SI jinx” and left the NBA two years after leaving the Grizzlies.
After a few years playing hoops around the world, Lopez settled back in New York, where he now run the Felipe Lopez Foundation, which helps at-risk youth in New York out of Lopez’s church.
(Photo Credit: Jeff Gross/Allsport)
A backup to Greg Anthony, Moten never developed into a consistent player in his two seasons with Vancouver, and was out of the NBA one year after leaving the Grizzlies.
After years playing in Europe and South America, Moten became a kindergarten teacher in Washington D.C., and became a head coach for the Rochester Razorsharks of the Premier Basketball League.
(Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)
“I looked at it as a great opportunity to experience another culture, to see another part of the world that I wasn’t going to see. It was not only basketball, it was a cultural experience I wanted to go through,” said Long, who happily recounted times on Grouse Mountain and Stanley Park in an interview this month.
“The people were very nice, so nice that, OK, what do you guys want? Let me get my hand on my wallet. People were a little too nice,” he says with a laugh.
After retiring following a year in Memphis and one more season in Boston, Long went on to a successful second career as a TV analyst – first with the Oklahoma Thunder and now with the Detroit Pistons. But he still remembers Vancouver fondly.
“I would love for a team to come back. It was the first and only time I ever took a seaplane.”
(Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Allsport)
The Vancouver Sun quipped that he “probably spent more of his free time in Vancouver with local strippers than he did with teammates” while serving as a backup centre to Reeves in his two years in Vancouver.
Parks retired in 2004, and spent last summer helping with summer camps at his alma mater of Duke.
(Photo Credit: AP/LM Otero)
Peeler went on to be a key part of playoff teams for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, before retiring in 2005. He went on to be an assistant at Virginia Union University.
(Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Allsport)
Traded away in the Steve Francis deal, Smith retired from the NBA following the 2001 season.
(Photo Credit: Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)
While he left the NBA following the 2002 season, Mack continued to play basketball into his 40s for the Chicago Steam of the ABA, and is currently a skills development coach in Chicago.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
“West said he drank 17 beers at a hotel bar in Orlando, Fla., drank more at the airport bar, on the plane and in downtown Minneapolis,” reported the Associated Press the next week.
While West eventually reported to the Grizzlies after a stint in rehab, he struggled with injuries in his three seasons in Vancouver, retiring after the team moved to Memphis.
West is now the head coach of the Division III Penn State Altoona men’s basketball team.
(Photo Credit: AP/Ed Betz)
Mobley never developed into a consistent big man, and was waived by the team after two seasons. He never played in the NBA again, and aside from a stint with the ABA’s Pittsburgh Xplosion last decade, his whereabouts today are unknown.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Robinson is now a trainer in the August, Georgia area.
(Photo Credit: Rhona Wise/AFP)
“I was at the end of my career. I was beat up physically. My back was a mess…and the team was in disarray from an administrative standpoint. I had three different owners and three different coaches in my two seasons,” Price told the Vancouver Sun four years ago.
Today, Price lives in Enid, Oklahoma, where he raises his family and works with many businesses and charitable organizations.
(Photo Credit: Scott Nelson/AFP/Getty Images)
“It was a wonderful time for my family,” said Manning last month. “I had great time there, I was a family man when I started there. I had a 2-year-old, he’s got a couple pictures in a small Grizzlies jersey.”
Released by the Grizzlies in 1997, Manning retired following a 13-game stint with the L. A. Clippers later that year. Today, he proudly bills himself as “Your 7-Foot Loan Officer” with Summit Funding in Elk Grove, California.
“It’s always a fun conversation, it’s important to me, it’s a great way to market myself,” says Manning.
“Even though I was the 13th, 14th man, I was alway treated well, with respect…I was disappointed that they had to move.”
(Photo Credit: Dan Levine/AFP/Getty Images)
One season with the team
24. Roy Rogers (82 games, 1996-1997): Chosen 22nd overall by the Grizzlies in the 1996 draft, Rogers played one season for Vancouver as a complement in the front court to Reeves before being traded for Tony Massenburg.
From there, he bumped around the NBA for a number of seasons, before retiring after the 2001 season.
“I have very fond memories,” says Rogers. “The first thing that comes to mind is that I had never been to Vancouver until I was drafted. I remember taking the flight from New Jersey to Vancouver, and when we landed, I just went, ‘Wow, this is a beautiful city.’ I think that’s the one thing people don’t realize is how beautiful Vancouver really is. It’s a shame that people don’t really take the time to go and visit the city.”
Rogers has gone on to a successful career as an NBA assistant coach – first with the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets, and now with the Washington Wizards.
“My whole four years I was at Wake Forest, I never had something like that happened to me before. Always wanted it to happen, but never did. I guess my dream came true,” said King.
Released by the Grizzlies after the season, he bounced around leagues in Asia, Europe, and South America for another decade, and is currently self-employed in Paris.
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
“Byron, of course, had championships with the Lakers, and was the one person everyone really knew and respected,” said Winters.
“I was the locker next to him. He talked a lot about with Lakers, and extending his time with the Pacers, and playing as long as he could,” said Manning.
After one year with the Grizzlies, Scott returned to the Lakers for a final NBA season. He then went into coaching, becoming the head coach for the Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the Lakers.
(Photo Credit: Dan Levine/AFP/Getty Images)
Since retiring in 2009, Swift’s only time in the news was a 2012 criminal case where he was found guilty of stalking and sending threatening messages to a woman.
(Photo Credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport)
“I always say if I could go back and change one thing, I wish I would have had the opportunity to sit out and watch my rookie season, so I could watch and learn to see what it takes to succeed at the NBA level,” he said.
Thrust into a starting role, Daniels ended the season with -1.3 Win Shares — the lowest amount in all of the NBA that season. Ending the year on the bench, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason—where he quickly improved en route to an eventual 14-year career.
“At the time I went from the worst team in the league to the best team in matter of a year. I went from 19-63 to an NBA championship in my second year,” he said.
Man, I’m on the outside thinking, if he’s cursing them out, what is he going to say to me if I don’t do my job? The thing is it’s not just Vancouver, that culture doesn’t exist in a lot of places. where you hold your all-stars and your best players accountable.”
Today, Daniels is a studio analyst for the Oklahoma Thunder, and runs the Daniels Family Foundation in the San Antonio area.
(Photo Credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport)
29. Anthony Avent (71 games, 1995-1996): A backup for the NBA finalist-Orlando Magic prior to being traded to the Grizzlies, Avent was an occasional starter in his one year in Vancouver.
Despite being a 6-foot-9 power forward, Avent shot just 38.4% from the floor in his one season, and was released by the team at the end of the season.
Avent currently assists NBA players with their finances in the New York area—but was himself the recent victim of a ponzi scheme.
Jones went on to be a depth guard with playoff teams in Miami and Cleveland, and is now a shooting consultant for the Cleveland Cavaliers—along with being in the inner circle of Lebron James.
(Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Allsport)
31. Dennis Scott (66 games, 1999-2000): A three-point shooting specialist who was a key part of the Shaq/Penny Hardaway Orlando Magic teams of the mid-90s, Scott was on his last legs when he arrived in Vancouver for what would be his final NBA season.
Today, Scott is an analyst for NBA TV and the Atlanta Hawks.
32. Eric Murdock (64 games, 1995-1996): As a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Murdock was considered a possible rising star when he was traded to the Grizzlies for the disgruntled Benoit Benjamin just one month into Vancouver’s first season.
But he was released by the Grizzlies after the season despite solid stats in a backup role to Greg Anthony, and finished his career with four different teams in as many seasons.
Today, Murdock is the owner of Stapleton’s Restaurant & Lounge in New Jersey, and formerly served as Rutgers University’s director of basketball player development.
33. Ashraf Amaya (54 games, 1995-1996): An undrafted player from Southern Illinois University, Amaya made his NBA debut with the Grizzlies, starting 34 games for the team at power forward in their in inaugural season.
Released at the end of the year, Amaya played 31 games the next season for the Washington Wizards, before going on to a successful career in Italy and Greece.
“The biggest thing was being with the guys. It’s crazy how much of a good guy Big Country was. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was like a big brother to me. Mike Bibby and I have kept in touch over the years,” he said.
Retiring after the 2006 season, Palacio most recently served as director of player development for the University of Idaho.
(Photo Credit: Jeff Gross /Allsport)
Austin played on additional year for Memphis before retiring in 2002.
(Photo Credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport)
36. Otis Thorpe (47 games, 1997-1998): A productive power forward for years, Thorpe was traded to the Grizzlies from the Detroit Pistons in 1997 for a future 1st round pick, and was expected to provide some veteran leadership for Bryant Reeves and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Instead, Thorpe made no secret of his dislike of Vancouver and was gone after 47 games, traded away at the deadline for Bobby Hurley and Michael Smith.
Thorpe retired in 2001 and became a real estate agent in the Austin, Texas area – but may be best known today for being the reason that Detroit received Memphis’ 2nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, after the Grizzlies could no longer protect the pick. Instead of selecting Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, or Chris Bosh, the Pistons chose Darko Milicic.
After one season in Vancouver as a backup point guard to Mike Bibby, he was gone from the NBA, but played in Latin America for another decade before retiring in 2010.
Wheat now lives in Louiville and runs basketball camps.
38. Kevin Edwards (46 games, 2000-2001): An occasional starter throughout his 11-year NBA career, Edwards played his last season in Vancouver following a two-year hiatus as a depth guard.
Following his stint in Vancouver, Edwards decided to go into the movie business, becoming a producer for Extra Film Productions. He is now the Director of Community, Corporate & Professional Relations for DePaul University’s Athletic Department.
He played half the year in a depth guard role, before leaving the NBA for a final time. Abdul-Rauf then played another decade for teams in Europe and Asia, and now lives in Atlanta as a public speaker and NBA trainer.
(Photo Credit: Tom Hauck/Allsport)
40. Obinna Ekezie (39 games, 1999-2000): Vancouver’s second round pick in the 1999 draft, Ekezie played sparsely for the Grizzlies in his one season, and was traded in the summer with Felipe Lopez, Cherokee Parks and Dennis Scott to the Washington Wizards for Isaac Austin.
After bouncing around the NBA and European leagues for much of last decade, Ekezie became involved in the travel industry, and is now CEO of Wakanow, a Nigerian travel company.
It was his fourth team in as many seasons, but after singing with the Seattle Supersonics the next summer, he blossomed into a dependable depth forward for the next decade in the NBA, including stints in New Jersey and Toronto.
Today, Williams is a real estate broker in the Chicago area.
(Photo Credit: Elsa Hasch/Allsport)
42. Doug Edwards (31 games, 1995-1996): Selected by the Grizzlies in the 1995 Expansion Draft, Edwards played sparingly before being derailed by injuries.
He never played in the NBA again, but has gone onto a successful career as director of student-athlete development, first at Kansas State and now at the University of South Carolina.
He then began an eclectic post-NBA career, with stings in Las Vegas, Paris, Venezuela and Japan. In 2007, he became a Japanese citizen so he could play for the country’s national basketball team, and now goes by the name J. R. Sakuragi.
Sakuragi continues to play in Japan for the Aisin SeaHorses of the NBL.
44. Ivano Newbill (28 games, 1997-1998): Newbill never played another NBA game after his season with Vancouver, but continued his basketball career in Europe for many years afterward.
A Kinesiology Teacher at Santa Monica College, Newbill is also currently taking classes at the school in Computer Networking.
45. Gerald Wilkins (28 games, 1995-1996): A productive defense-first forward for a decade, Wilkins was injured for the entire season before he was selected by the Grizzlies in the 1995 Expansion Draft.
Still injured for most of his one season with Vancouver, he was released in 1996 and played three more seasons with the Orlando Magic before retiring.
Wilkins now lives in the Atlanta area.
Hurley retired following his half-year with Vancouver, became involved in thoroughbred horse racing, and was a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers.
He then transitioned into college basketball coaching, and after three years at the University of Buffalo, was hired this summer as the head coach for Arizona State.
(Photo Credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/AFP/Getty Images)
47. Kenny Gattison (25 games, 1995-1996): Another veteran player near the end of his career, Gattison was drafted by the Grizzlies in the Expansion draft, but was traded to the Orlando Magic halfway through an injury-plagued season.
Gattison never played another game in the NBA, but went onto a successful career as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns.
48. Darrick Martin (24 games, 1995-1996): Signed by the Grizzlies prior to their first season, Martin was traded during the year, but played for another 12 seasons for five different teams before retiring in 2008.
The former director of Basketball Operations for St. John’s University in New York, Martin is now a radio analyst for UCLA games.
Retiring in 2005, Strickland became a coach at Bellevue West High School in Nebraska, and now lives in Frisco, Texas.
(Photo Credit: KIM STALLKNECHT/AFP/Getty Images)
50. Terry Dehere (22 games, 1998-1999): After wrapping up a seven-year NBA career as a depth guard in Vancouver, Dehere moved back to the New Jersey area, where he became the vice-chair of the Jersey City Board of Education. Dehere now owns a restaurant in Jersey City, called Sanai’s, that puts on murder-mystery shows.
51. Antoine Carr (21 games, 1999-2000): “The Big Dog”, Carr completed up a 987-game, 16-year career with 21 games in Vancouver in the 1999-2000 season.
Carr now operates a construction company in San Antonio.
Leckner moved back to his home town of Manhattan Beach, California, where he lives with his wife and four children.
(Photo Credit: Elsa Hasch/Allsport)
53. Antonio Harvey (18 games, 1995-1996): An energetic big man for Vancouver at the beginning of their first season, Harvey was quickly waived by the team, but went on to play five more seasons in the NBA.
Today, Harvey is a radio analyst for the Portland Trail Blazers, is active in the Portland community, and runs the Harvey Family Foundation.
Benjamin now lives back in his hometown of Monroe, Louisiana, where he has had several legal problems – including owing $500,000 in child support.
(Photo Credit: TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images)
55. Joe Stephens (13 games, 1999-2000): Signed by a free agent by the Grizzlies, Stephens never started a game with Vancouver, and never played in the NBA again after being waived by the team after a month.
After retiring, Stephens played in Europe for several years before moved to the Houston area. He then started a finance company, serves on the board of several organizations in the Houston area – and is now running for elected office.
Rhodes is now a high school basketball coach for the Cordia Lions in Lotts Creek, Kentucky.
57. Moochie Norris (8 games, 1996-1997): Waived after just eight games in his rookie season, Norris ended up having a productive 9-year NBA career, becoming a fan favourite with the Houston Rockets before retiring in 2006.
Norris still resides in Houston as a basketball trainer.
58. Larry Robinson (6 games, 1997-1998): A journeyman whose short stint in Vancouver came in the middle of a 10-year career, Robinson transitioned to the casino industry after basketball. He is now Vice-President of Sales at V-Tabs, a charity gaming company.
59. Jason Sasser (6 games, 1998-1999): Sasser played just 39 minutes in his six games with the Grizzlies, and never played in the NBA again after he was waived by Vancouver. He went on to play in Europe and Asia for several more seasons.
60. Carl Herrera (4 games, 1998-1999): After 42 minutes with the Grizzlies, Herrera was waived, and played one final NBA season with the Denver Nuggets. He is now coach for the Gigantes de Guayana team in Venezuala.
61. Makhtar N’Diaye (4 games, 1998-1999): The first person from Senegal to play in the NBA, N’Diaye played just 27 minutes in four games with Vancouver before being traded to the Orlando Magic as part of the three-team Steve Francis deal.
N’Diaye never played another NBA game, but has gone on to a successful career as an NBA agent with the Wasserman Media Group.
62. Cuonzo Martin (4 games, 1995-1996): Signed to a 10-day contract at the end of the Grizzlies’ first season, Martin played 19 minutes in total for Vancouver.
After playing three games the next season for the Milwaukee Bucks and one season in Italy, Martin transitioned to a successful career in coaching. He led the Tennessee Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen in 2014, and is now the head coach of the California Golden Bears.
– With files from Jon Azpiri
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