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Michael Heisley: Billionaire who bought Vancouver Grizzlies to move them to Memphis is dead at 77

DonLever

By DonLever
in Off-Topic General

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DonLever Canucks Third-Line

DonLever

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Michael Heisley, the billionaire businessman who bought the Vancouver Grizzlies and moved the NBA them to Memphis, died Saturday. He was 77.

The Grizzlies said Saturday night that a family member confirmed Heisley’s death. The Commercial Appeal reported that Heisley died in Illinois of complications from a massive stroke he suffered nearly 15 months ago.

Heisley sold the team to Robert Pera before the start of the 2012-13 season.

Heisely, chairman emeritus and co-founder of The Heico Companies, LLC, bought the team in April 2000. He moved the club from Vancouver to Memphis and hired NBA great Jerry West as president of basketball operations.

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g_bassi13 Canucks Star

g_bassi13

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Best season in terms attendance for the Grizzlies in Memphis this year.

16712. You probably could get that many in Pacific Coliseum

Bucks average 13487 this year.

Maybe just crappy teams in the NBA aren't entertaining?

Except the Grizzlies weren't crappy this year. They can't get much attendance, win or lose. They are making a lot more money now though then they were for themselves in past years, with new ownership and new direction.

If in Vancouver with the team that they have, it would be guaranteed that the numbers would be higher. Say what you want about Vancouver sports fans, but they pay to see a winning team.

But about Michael Haisley, I know you're supposed to pay respect to the dead, refrain from speaking ill, and all that jazz, but I could give less of a shit. I hated him when he took the team away, and I hate him now.

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Primal Optimist Canucks Franchise Player

Primal Optimist

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Best season in terms attendance for the Grizzlies in Memphis this year.

16712. You probably could get that many in Pacific Coliseum

Bucks average 13487 this year.

Maybe just crappy teams in the NBA aren't entertaining?

basketball just isn't entertaining unless your team has the basketball equivalent of Sidney Crosby on it, then i might watch the highlights and last 2 minutes of a game...I think I have watched more minutes of cricket on sky sports than minutes of NBA on any channel the past 5 years. Just my two cents.

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BobLoblaw Abbotsford Prospect

BobLoblaw

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IMO, the NBA will never be successful in a place like Vancouver until the NBA gets a true, hard salary cap negotiated into their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the NBA Players Association. Until then, Vancouver would be nothing but a franchise that develops draft picks until they're free to leave or force a trade to a larger basketball market team.

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nucklehead Canucks First-Line

nucklehead

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OH Canada!!!! 40 games later, they gone!!!
SLAM DUNK!

the NBA will never be successful in a place like Vancouver

I have watched more minutes of cricket than NBA the past 5 years

I hated him when he took the team away, and I hate him now.
That's a three pointer!
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Grapefruits Canucks Star

Grapefruits

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I would have liked to see the Grizz stay in Van. they never really had a fighting chance though.

When players cry because they don't want to live in your city that doesn't really bode well for you.

Never went to a game, but my Dad did. Said it was really entertaining, not for the Basketball though. NBA will never work in Vancouver for the reason you mentioned. No big name player will want to play here, and if we ever get a good rookie and he becomes anything decent, he will demand a trade outa here.

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McBackup Canucks First-Line

McBackup

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Never went to a game, but my Dad did. Said it was really entertaining, not for the Basketball though. NBA will never work in Vancouver for the reason you mentioned. No big name player will want to play here, and if we ever get a good rookie and he becomes anything decent, he will demand a trade outa here.

Yeah. I don't think its entirely that bleak however. I mean, the Thunder have Westbrook and Durant, and who really wants to live in OKC?

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Bure010 Abbotsford Star

Bure010

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basketball just isn't entertaining unless your team has the basketball equivalent of Sidney Crosby on it, then i might watch the highlights and last 2 minutes of a game...I think I have watched more minutes of cricket on sky sports than minutes of NBA on any channel the past 5 years. Just my two cents.

pretty much this, only time anyone went to a Grizzlies game was when the Kobe/Shaq era Lakers came to town etc

nobody went to watch the Grizzlies lol

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Merci Canucks Regular

Merci

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The ethnic diversity in Vancouver is breeding a Basketball market, you can see it on the streets.

I see people playing in public courts around burnaby, richmond, and metro Van every day all day.

Only problem is you need to make the players like snow.

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î мцšт вяздк чфµ Canucks Regular

î мцšт вяздк чфµ

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this is the guy that lied to us when he promised grizzlies would stay in vancity and he even sang the canadian anthem in one of the home games to prove his point and win the crowd over, then after the offseason he gave a BIG F U to vancouver and moved the team.

p.s. i remember going to various grizzly games for free, my high school was giving away tickets.

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