Apr 27, 2011; San Antonio, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Shane Battier (31) reacts after losing the ball during the first half of game five of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Two-Time NBA Champion Says Memphis Grizzlies Were `Bad News Bears' After Relocating

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 3:47 PM ET

Former NBA player Shane Battier entered the league after having one of the most successful careers in NCAA history.

And then he was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2001. That's when he knew he was a long way from playing for the Duke Blue Devils.

"I laugh about that," Battier said in an interview with Back In The Day Hoops On SI. "I tell that story all the time. We were a bad team. We had bad culture. We lacked resilience. I graduated from Duke, all time winningest college basketball player of all time. I got drafted by the Grizzlies, who had the worst winning percentage of every team in the NHL, MLB, NFL and NBA, so literally the worst team in North America."

Shane Battier details his early years with Memphis Grizzlies

Battier compared his time with the Grizzlies to the movie "The Bad News Bears." He said things only got worse when the franchise moved to Memphis in 2002. He played on a team that featured Hall of Famer Pau Gasol but none of the veterans attempted to help the young players. The Grizzlies also had Stromile Swift and Jason Williams

"I'd love to say I had great vets that took me under their wings and showed me the ropes and said, `This is what you do,"' Battier said. "But I actually I got chastised for that when I brought up that in the locker room ... They said, `Naw man, you've got to figure it yourself like we did."'

This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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