Local filmmaker digs deep into demise of the Vancouver Grizzlies in latest doc
The Vancouver Grizzlies’ time in this city was short, but anything but sweet.
After six lowly seasons, the franchise’s second owner Michael Heisley relocated the team to Memphis, Tenn., for the 2001-02 NBA season.
It’s a move many Vancouver basketball fans have yet to get over.
"Everyone who I spoke to was still filled with anger, bitterness, heartbreak,” said Vancouver filmmaker Kathleen Jayme.
The lingering anger is what inspired Jayme, a basketball super-fan herself, to create the film The Grizzlie Truth, a deeper look at what led to the demise of the Vancouver Grizzlies.
“As a filmmaker, when you see all of these emotions that are still lingering 20-plus years later, you know there’s something there,” Jayme told CTV News.
Jayme was just six years old when the team came to Vancouver in 1995.
"The Grizzlies came to town at that perfect moment when I was just starting to fall in love with the game,” she said.
The documentary is the fourth Jayme has made about Vancouver’s lone NBA Franchise.
Two were short-form, while in 2018 she released Finding Big Country, the story of the once-promising Grizzlies centre Bryant Reeves, whose career was cut short by numerous injuries.
The team’s attendance numbers started strong, with over 17,000 fans attending home games, on average, during their inaugural season.
However, after finishing dead last in their division in all but one season, attendance dropped to just over 13,000 per game by the 2000-01 season, the team's last in Vancouver.
Over the years, many have placed blame for the team's departure on poor coaching, management, and, of course, play.
However, there’s perhaps been no bigger villain than Steve Francis.
In 1999 NBA draft, the Grizzlies selected the highly touted guard out of the University of Maryland with the second overall pick.
A player seen as good enough to be a potential franchise saver, the American had no interest in playing in Canada, and was traded to the Houston Rockets that summer without ever playing a game for the Grizzlies.
This week, however, Francis has made his long-awaited return to the city for the premier of the film.
"You’ll get an opportunity to see who Steve Francis is, even 23 years later, and I guess some of the reasons why Steve Francis didn't want to come to Vancouver," said Francis.
“One of the things I’ve loved most about this process is getting to know Steve Francis as a friend,” said Jayme. “I’m excited for Vancouver to hear his story, and maybe this can be a healing experience for the city of Vancouver and for Steve Francis."
The film, which premieres Saturday as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, also features Shareef Abdur Rahim, Stu Jackson, Mike Bibby and Bryant “Big Country” Reeves.
Saturday’s screening sold out, but another one is planned for Oct. 5 at The Centre for Performing Arts.
Jayme is hopeful that another big turnout could help get Vancouver back on the NBA’s radar.
“This is history in the making,” she said. “This could be a great opportunity to show the NBA how much Vancouver loves the Grizzlies and how much we could support a team in the future.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.