However, despite the strong draft class, general manager Billy Knight was let go. After the Grizzlies' first season in Memphis, Gasol won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. They also acquired Jason Williams from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Mike Bibby that same year. Forward Shane Battier was selected with the sixth pick in the same draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. In the 2001 NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks chose Pau Gasol as the third overall pick, trading him to the Grizzlies. The city of Memphis was previously represented by the Memphis Sounds of the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1975. In their first three seasons in Memphis, the Grizzlies played their home games at the Pyramid Arena. Memphis became the easternmost city in the Western Conference. The original Memphis Grizzlies franchise played in the World Football League from 1974 to 1975. This is, primarily, because of the city’s proud history with a previous team, also named Memphis Grizzlies. However, the community strongly supported the existing name. After moving to Memphis, the team explored the possibility of changing “Grizzlies” to another name that better reflected the Memphis area. The team relocated following the 2000–01 season and were renamed the Memphis Grizzlies. ![]() The Vancouver Grizzlies applied to the NBA to relocate to Memphis, Tennessee on March 26, 2001, which was granted on July 3 leaving the Toronto Raptors as the only Canadian basketball team in the NBA. Main article: Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis
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