I have been a Memphis Grizzlies fan since 2008 when I moved to Memphis the second time (yes I moved there twice). I had never followed the NBA because growing up outside Baltimore, we did not have an NBA team. I don’t count the Washington Wizards because I don’t live in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore and DC are two very different rival cities an hour apart. You’re either Baltimore or DC. Anyway when I moved to Memphis, the Grizzlies were the only professional team in the city – aside from the Redbirds who were the triple A baseball team for the St. Louis Cardinals. So as the only pro team in Memphis, I started following the NBA and became a Grizzlies fan. I became a Grizzlies season ticket holder – all 40 home games for $400. I liked my $10 seat in the front row of the upperdeck in the endzone, or end court. But one time I got a comp ticket center court on the floor that cost $480., more than my entire season ticket plan. It’s hard to go back up to the nosebleeds once you’ve sat courtside.

Ironically, I became an even bigger Grizzlies fan when I moved back to Maryland in 2011. I subscribe to NBA League Pass, so I never miss a Grizzlies game. I also see my Grizzlies when they play in DC, Philadelphia and New York each season. And about half of my clothes are Grizzlies themed (the other half is Broncos themed). In just seven years, I have become as much of a Grizzlies and NBA fan as I am a Broncos and NFL fan, of which I’ve been for 30 years.