The 1996-97 season marked the Memphis Grizzlies’ second campaign in the NBA, although they were still based in Vancouver at that time. The Grizzlies were hoping to improve on their inaugural season performance, but the challenges were significant. The team struggled throughout the season, finishing with a record of 14 wins and 68 losses, which placed them last in the Midwest Division and tied for the worst record in the league.
Key players for the Grizzlies during this season included Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had been selected as the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring, averaging 18.7 points per game, showcasing his potential as a future cornerstone for the franchise. Despite his efforts, the team lacked depth and consistency, which contributed to their struggles.
The Grizzlies faced difficulties on both ends of the floor, ranking near the bottom of the league in both offensive and defensive metrics. The lack of experience and talent depth was evident, as the team frequently found itself outmatched by more established franchises. Head coach Brian Winters, who was in his second season with the team, was unable to steer the Grizzlies to significant improvement.
Overall, the 1996-97 season was another challenging year for the Grizzlies franchise. The team continued to search for an identity and develop a competitive roster that could contend in the highly competitive NBA landscape. Despite the struggles, the experience gained by young players like Abdur-Rahim provided a glimmer of hope for future development.
- Regular Season Record: 14-68
- Playoff Result: Did not make playoffs
Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Stats for 1996-97 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Shareef Abdur-Rahim | 80 | 18.7 | 6.9 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 25.9 | |||||||
| Bryant Reeves | 75 | 16.2 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 9.1 | |||||||
| Anthony Peeler | 72 | 14.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 37.3 | |||||||
| Greg Anthony | 65 | 9.5 | 2.8 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 37.0 | |||||||
| George Lynch | 41 | 8.3 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 25.8 | |||||||
| Blue Edwards | 61 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 28.1 | |||||||
| Lawrence Moten | 67 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 29.1 | |||||||
| Roy Rogers | 82 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 100.0 | |||||||
| Aaron Williams | 32 | 6.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Lee Mayberry | 80 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 37.6 | |||||||
| Chris Robinson | 41 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 38.2 | |||||||
| Pete Chilcutt | 54 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 36.2 | |||||||
| Rich Manning | 16 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 66.7 | |||||||
| Eric Mobley | 28 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Eric Leckner | 19 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Moochie Norris | 8 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 20.0 | |||||||
Memphis Grizzlies 1996-97 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1996-97 season for the Memphis Grizzlies.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 01, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 114-85 | |
| Nov 03, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 105-95 | |
| Nov 05, 1996 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 96-73 | |
| Nov 06, 1996 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 105-89 | |
| Nov 08, 1996 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 88-72 | |
| Nov 10, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 101-82 | |
| Nov 12, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 99-92 | |
| Nov 14, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 92-89 | |
| Nov 15, 1996 | @ Utah Jazz | L 104-96 | |
| Nov 17, 1996 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 91-81 | |
| Nov 18, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 84-83 | |
| Nov 20, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 94-75 | |
| Nov 24, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 96-91 | |
| Nov 26, 1996 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 101-80 | |
| Nov 27, 1996 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 87-78 | |
| Nov 29, 1996 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 104-94 | |
| Nov 30, 1996 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 96-90 | |
| Dec 04, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 127-80 | |
| Dec 06, 1996 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 105-89 | |
| Dec 07, 1996 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 96-85 | |
| Dec 09, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 107-91 | |
| Dec 12, 1996 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 99-78 | |
| Dec 13, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 95-93 | |
| Dec 15, 1996 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 103-84 | |
| Dec 17, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 93-92 | |
| Dec 19, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 105-98 | |
| Dec 20, 1996 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 108-93 | |
| Dec 22, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 91-87 | |
| Dec 26, 1996 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 111-88 | |
| Dec 28, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 103-98 | |
| Dec 30, 1996 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 95-88 | |
| Jan 03, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 108-94 | |
| Jan 05, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 95-82 | |
| Jan 08, 1997 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 109-95 | |
| Jan 09, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 102-86 | |
| Jan 11, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 109-101 | |
| Jan 14, 1997 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 91-81 | |
| Jan 15, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 103-79 | |
| Jan 17, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 106-68 | |
| Jan 19, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 100-92 | |
| Jan 20, 1997 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 112-96 | |
| Jan 22, 1997 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 94-84 | |
| Jan 23, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 95-76 | |
| Jan 25, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 83-82 | |
| Jan 27, 1997 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 122-97 | |
| Jan 28, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 111-96 | |
| Jan 30, 1997 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 100-94 | |
| Jan 31, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 87-76 | |
| Feb 02, 1997 | @ Boston Celtics | W 102-92 | |
| Feb 04, 1997 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 111-105 | |
| Feb 06, 1997 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 103-86 | |
| Feb 11, 1997 | @ Houston Rockets | L 106-97 | |
| Feb 12, 1997 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 106-101 | |
| Feb 14, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 109-106 | |
| Feb 17, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 100-95 | |
| Feb 19, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 84-73 | |
| Feb 21, 1997 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 99-91 | |
| Feb 23, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 91-84 | |
| Feb 26, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 83-80 | |
| Feb 28, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 104-100 | |
| Mar 02, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 93-86 | |
| Mar 06, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 102-96 | |
| Mar 09, 1997 | @ Toronto Raptors | L 81-77 | |
| Mar 11, 1997 | @ Charlotte Hornets | L 98-92 | |
| Mar 12, 1997 | @ Washington Bullets | L 104-82 | |
| Mar 14, 1997 | @ Miami Heat | L 88-82 | |
| Mar 16, 1997 | @ Orlando Magic | L 100-89 | |
| Mar 18, 1997 | @ New York Knicks | L 98-73 | |
| Mar 19, 1997 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 95-72 | |
| Mar 21, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | L 108-101 | |
| Mar 23, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 106-92 | |
| Mar 25, 1997 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 110-104 | |
| Mar 27, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 102-98 | |
| Mar 28, 1997 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 115-81 | |
| Apr 01, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 102-91 | |
| Apr 04, 1997 | @ Utah Jazz | L 106-79 | |
| Apr 06, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 94-85 | |
| Apr 08, 1997 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 109-93 | |
| Apr 10, 1997 | @ Houston Rockets | L 102-94 | |
| Apr 12, 1997 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 96-85 | |
| Apr 17, 1997 | @ Vancouver Grizzlies | W 105-73 | |
| Apr 19, 1997 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 121-107 |