The Memphis Grizzlies All-Time GOAT Pyramid

In 1995-96, an NBA franchise was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Vancouver Grizzlies remained in their home North of the Border through the 2001-01 season until they made the permanent move to Memphis in 2002. In the last 29 seasons, the Grizzlies have made just 13 playoff appearances and are one of 10 teams that remain without having won an NBA championship.

Despite their lack of notable team success, the Grizzlies have been one of the staples of the Western Conference and the NBA over the last 15 years. Today, we honor the greats who have helped mold the Grizzlies organization as well as the ones who continue that tradition into the future with their all-time GOAT pyramid. 

Tier 1

Marc Gasol, Mike Conley

While this position will inevitably change over the next decade, Marc Gasol remains the franchise GOAT of the Memphis Grizzlies. After being drafted in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Lakers, the younger Gasol would be sent to Memphis in a deal for his older brother, Pau.

While Pau went on to become an NBA champion with the Lakers, Marc made the Grizzlies true conference contenders. Over the next 11 seasons in Memphis, Gasol averaged 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. He would capture the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award before leading the team to their only Western Conference Finals appearance in team history. Gasol is second in team history in points, first in rebounds, second in assists, third in steals, and first in blocks.

Mike Conley is another player known for the heights in which he was able to lead the Memphis Grizzlies. As the face of their Grit and Grind era along with Gasol, Conley played 12 seasons in Memphis from 2008 through 2019. During that time, he averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Conley earned one All-Defensive team selection and is the franchise leader in points with 11,733, assists with 4,509, and steals with 1,161.

Tier 2

Zach Randolph, Ja Morant, Pau Gasol, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Tony Allen

Tier 2 is filled with plenty of Memphis Grizzlies legends who have and continue to build their legacies in the uniform. The first of these Memphis legends is Zach Randolph who played for the Grizzlies for eight seasons from 2010 through 2017. In his time with Memphis, Randolph was a two-time All-Star who averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 47.6% shooting.

Ja Morant has certainly done enough to be considered a Memphis Grizzlies great since being drafted second overall in 2019. In four-plus seasons, Morant has averaged 22.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Morant was named the 2020 Rookie of the Year with the Grizzlies as well as the 2022 Most Improved Player. He has also already captured two All-Star selections and an All-NBA Second Team selection in his career so far.

Much like his younger brother, Pau Gasol also had a profound impact on building the foundation for the Memphis Grizzlies. Pau began his career with the Grizzlies following a draft day trade with the Hawks in 2001. Over the next seven seasons, Gasol averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He won the 2002 Rookie of the Year award and was also named an All-Star in 2006.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was drafted by the Grizzlies third overall in 1996 by the Vancouver Grizzlies where he spent the next five seasons through 2001. Abdur-Rahim was great with the Grizzlies, averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in 375 games played. He ranks sixth in franchise history in scoring with 7,081 points as well as fourth in total rebounds with 3,070.

The final member of Tier 2 in Memphis Grizzlies history is defensive mastermind Tony Allen. In seven seasons with the team from 2011 through 2017, Allen averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. His true value came on the defensive end where he earned six All-Defensive Team selections including three to the First Team in seven years.

Tier 3

Rudy Gay, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mike Bibby, Mike Miller, Desmond Bane

The six members of Tier 3 in Memphis Grizzlies history are also franchise legends in their own right. Rudy Gay was the eighth overall pick of the Grizzlies in 1006 and would spend six-plus seasons with the team through 2013. Gay averaged 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in his Grizzlies career, finishing third for Rookie of the Year in 2007 and runner-up for Most Improved Player in 2008.

Sixth-year big man Jaren Jackson Jr has carved out a solid legacy for himself with the Grizzlies since 2018-19 as well. In 323 career games, Jackson has averaged 17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game since being selected fourth overall by the Grizzlies in the NBA draft. Jackson is a two-time NBA blocks champion and was named the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year averaging 1.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.

Point guard Mike Bibby was the second overall pick of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1998 out of Arizona. Bibby’s time with the Grizzlies would be short-lived but impactful nonetheless. In three seasons with the team, he averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 44.5% shooting. Bibby is credited with helping the Grizzlies establish a name as a franchise during their early years.

Mike Miller is one of the Grizzlies’ most lethal perimeter threats in the history of the organization. In seven seasons with the team, Miller drained 844 threes which ranks second in franchise history. He averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game overall, shooting 42.0% from three on 4.4 attempts.

The final member of Tier 3 in the history of the Memphis Grizzlies is another gem they found through the NBA Draft, Desmond Bane. Selected 30th overall in 2020, Bane has impressed and become one of the NBA’s premier shooting guards in the last three seasons. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, he has averaged 22.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 47.7% shooting overall and 39.8% from three. He has been one of the unsung heroes in Memphis’ 50-win seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Tier 4

Bryant Reeves, O.J. Mayo, Vince Carter, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Dillon Brooks, Jonas Valanciunas

Tier 4 begins our descent deeper into franchise history for the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant Reeves also known as “Big Country”, was the team’s first draft pick ever at sixth overall in 1995. Despite a promising start to his career, injuries began to haunt Reeves and derailed his career. He played six total seasons in Vancouver, averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

O.J. Mayo was the third overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 2008 NBA draft after a tumultuous tenure at USC in college. Mayo would lead the NBA in games played three of the next four seasons he spent with Memphis, averaging 15.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Mayo would help the Grizzlies reach the playoffs in 20111 and 2012 but would leave in free agency following the 2012 elimination.

Vince Carter was an ageless wonder toward the end of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2015 through 2017. Although he averaged just 6.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during his tenure, his flair for the dramatic and clutch moments in Memphis makes Carter a legend much higher up on the franchise totem pole.

In 2001, the Memphis Grizzlies made Shane Battier their sixth overall draft selection out of Duke University. Battier would spend the next six seasons in Memphis, averaging 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, ½ steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Along with his elite perimeter shooting, Battier became one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, finishing with four top-10 Defensive Player of the Year seasons in his career.

Jason Williams is very well-known for his days as one of the flashiest players in NBA history during the 2000s. While the Kings and Heat may be the spots he is most known for, Williams spent the most time with the Grizzlies from 2002 through 2006. During this time, he averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the team and was nearly the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2003. Williams would leave Memphis in 2005 and immediately capture an NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006.

By the time his six-year career with the Grizzlies had come to an end, Dillon Brooks was one of the biggest villains in the NBA. His actions both on and off the court had pushed both fans and the team itself to the brink until they saw no other option than to let him walk in free agency. Brooks was a well-above-average perimeter defender during his time with Memphis, averaging 14.5 points per game on 41.6% shooting.

The final member of Tier 4 was with the team for just 151 games in his career but did just enough to earn their spot. Jonas Valanciunas spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Grizzlies after being traded from the Raptors during the 2018-19 season for Marc Gasol. In his career with the Grizzlies, Valanciunas averaged 16.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. They would go to the playoffs once in 2021 before Valanciunas was traded to the Pelicans in August.

Tier 5

Steven Adams, James Posey, Stromile Swift, Brandon Clarke, Bonzi Wells, Damon Stoudamire, Greg Anthony

With the introduction of Tier 5, we have come to the final seven players that make up the hierarchy of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise. While the last two-plus seasons have not been the prettiest for Steven Adams, he has become a fan-favorite and widely respected by his teammates. In 118 games since 2021-22, Adams has averaged 7.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for Memphis while giving them much-needed interior depth as a defender. He has easily become worth a mention when talking about franchise greats.

James Posey also played just two seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004 and 2005. In those two seasons, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. In 2004 with the team, he finished 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and third in Most Improved Player voting with 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.

Drafted second overall to the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000, Stromile Swift was seen as a future superstar thanks to his incredible feats of athleticism. Swift would hardly live up to the hype, averaging 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in the next six-plus seasons with the team. Swift would be traded in 2007-08 and played just one more season before retiring in 2009.

Brandon Clarke has been with the Grizzlies for just four seasons but has already shown he can be an all-time franchise great, especially on the defensive end. Since becoming their draft night acquisition in 2019, Clarke has averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Memphis Grizzlies. After finishing fourth in 2020 for Rookie of the Year, Clarke finished 11th in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year in 2023.

Bonzi Wells is another player who spent just two seasons with the Grizzlies during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In 128 total games, Wells averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists for the Grizzlies and helped the team reach the playoffs in both seasons. Wells would play just three more seasons in the NBA after leaving the team following the 2005 season.

Toward the end of his career from 2006 through 2008, Damon Stoudamire played exactly 118 games with the Memphis Grizzlies. In that stretch, Mighty Mouse averaged just 8.4 points and 4.6 assists per game, a shell of his former self who was a borderline All-Star. Stoudamire would not make a playoff appearance with the Grizzlies but did enough to find a spot at the end of Tier 5.

The final member of the Memphis Grizzlies’ all-time GOAT pyramid is former NBA point guard Greg Anthony. For two seasons in 1996 and 1997 in Vancouver, Anthony filled the role of starting point guard for 134 games, averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He was named among the top 15 for Most Improved Player in 1996 but would be released by the team following the 1997 season.

For reference to our selection process, you can take a look at the previous NBA franchise GOAT Pyramids below.

- The Denver Nuggets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Orlando Magic All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Indiana Pacers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Oklahoma City Thunder All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Washington Wizards All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Utah Jazz All-Time Goat Pyramid

- The Portland Trail Blazers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Toronto Raptors All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Atlanta Hawks All-Time GOAT Pyramid