The 1997–98 NBA season was the Grizzlies' third season in the National Basketball Association. After finishing with the worst record in their first two seasons, the Grizzlies hired Brian Hill as head coach. In the offseason, they acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons and Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, while signing free agent Tony Massenburg. The Grizzlies would play around .500 early into the season with a 6–7 start. However, they struggled again posting a 13-game losing streak between December and January. At midseason, Thorpe was traded back to the Sacramento Kings while Anthony Peeler was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies finally escaped last place by finishing sixth in the Midwest Division with a 19–63 record.

Leading the way in scoring again was second-year star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who averaged 22.3 points per game. Also showing promise was Bryant Reeves, who continued to show improvement with 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Following the season, top draft pick Antonio Daniels was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, George Lynch signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Blue Edwards was released, where he would sign with the Miami Heat during the next season.

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