Ex-Vancouver Grizzlies owner: Raptors' run is 'a little bittersweet'

Arthur Griffiths, the founding owner of the now-defunct Vancouver Grizzlies, has been watching the Toronto Raptors' 2019 playoff run with mixed feelings.

While he's happy for the Raptors, the 62-year-old also wishes his organization could have reached the same level of success.

"It's a little bittersweet in the sense that that's what I'd like our team to be doing if they were still in the league," Griffiths told Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press. "But frankly, that's life. ... It makes me smile as well."

The Grizzlies joined the NBA in 1995 as an expansion franchise alongside the Raptors. The Grizzlies' time in Vancouver was short-lived, though, as the team relocated to Memphis following the 2000-01 season.

Griffiths went on to hold various other positions after selling his interest in the Grizzlies, most recently being appointed the CEO of World Farms Corp., an organization that aids in the growth of cannabis around the world. He hopes to see the NBA return to Vancouver one day, but for now, Griffiths is on the Raptors' bandwagon.

"One of the things we all know is that when Canadians come together to cheer for something, it's positive for our country," Griffiths said. "(The Raptors) are unifying. It's a great story and I think it just demonstrates the power of the NBA brand."