Vancouver Canada was the home to an expansion NBA team called the Grizzlies.  However, after a few solid years in
Vancouver, attendance dropped off drastically.    Expansion rules made it difficult for the team to get good draft picks, and a poor record in a new city is usually not going to bring paying fans to the game.  Free agents from the US were also hesitant to move to Canada which made it even harder for the Grizzlies to compete.

It was on this day, July 3rd 2001, that the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee.  The team would of course keep its name – becoming the Memphis Grizzlies.

Things have been better for the franchise since exiting Canada.   During the 2011 season, The Grizzlies shocked the 1
seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.  They then gave Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder all they could handle in the second round.  The team is clearly rising, and the fans in Memphis have been extremely supportive of their home town team.