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
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.