Grizzlies To Retire First Two Numbers in Franchise History
The Memphis Grizzlies have been in "Grind City" for exactly 20 years, but until now, there have been no player jerseys hanging in the rafters at FedEx Forum. That will all change this season, as the first players to officially have their numbers retired will be Zach Randolph (#50) and Tony Allen (#9).
Grizzlies announce they are retiring Tony Allen and Zach Randolph’s numbers 👏
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 1, 2021
The Memphis duo will be the first retired numbers in franchise history pic.twitter.com/LRVVngpYvx
As a tribute to the Grizzlies' "Grit and Grind" era, Randolph and Allen were promised when they retired that their jerseys would one day be memorialized in Memphis. The ceremonies will take place on two separate occasions during the 2021-22 season.
As a nice additional twist, Allen's ceremony will take place when the Grizz face another franchise icon, Mike Conley, now playing for the Utah Jazz, on Jan 28th.
"Z-Bo" will have his honors on Dec. 11th when the Grizzlies face Houston. Randolph spent 8 seasons in Memphis, and was the team's first All-NBA selection (3rd team, 2011). Allen spent 7 seasons playing lock-down defense in Memphis, and is the one who coined the "grit and grind" phrase.
Two other players that will be joining them having their jerseys lifted in ceremony, sometime in the future, will be Marc Gasol and Conley. Gasol spent 10 1/2 seasons in Memphis, and Conley 12 seasons. Both are still active, however, so for now, that will have to wait.
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