The Memphis Grizzlies weren't always masters of the NBA's grit-and-grind game.
They weren't even always Bluff City residents.
Their first home base was Vancouver, British Columbia (one of two Canadian markets the league established 20 years ago, along with the Toronto Raptors), and the Grizzlies' first franchise face was a player better known by his nickname than his legal one.
Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year at Oklahoma State, was the NBA's first player drafted by a Canadian team. The Grizzlies grabbed the burly 7-footer with the sixth overall selection of the 1995 draft.
By 2002, both Reeves and Vancouver had been wiped off the NBA map. Though unfortunately brief, their shared journey produced tales that could live on for decades.
With Vancouver back on basketball's radar as the site of Sunday's Raptors-Los Angeles Clippers preseason tilt, this is a perfect time to relive those stories.
The Birth of Big Country
Reeves' rise to basketball prominence could not have had a more improbable starting point.< ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Zach Buckley
The First Face of the Grizzlies Franchise and a Big Country
October 2nd, 2015 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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