The Core Four of the Grizzlies officially died at 10:51 a.m. Wednesday just shy of its 10th birthday after a combination of injuries over several years, most notably the passage of time, a reluctance to rebuild and a series of Woj bombs concluding with Mike Conley's trade to the Utah Jazz.

The Core Four was born on June 28, 2007, when Conley was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA draft.

They began to take shape on Feb. 1, 2008, when Marc Gasol joined the organization in a trade involving his brother, a franchise patriarch named Pau.

They found their heart and soul in July 2009 with the arrival of Zach Randolph, who later became known around the streets of Memphis simply as Z-Bo.

They discovered their voice, and eventually a motto, when Tony Allen signed a contract one year after that.

They were the foundation of Grit 'N’ Grind, the throwback style of basketball that embodied Memphis and wreaked havoc on the NBA for a time.

They'll be remembered as the inspiration behind a generation of fans who embraced the city’s NBA franchise like never before, "Whoop That Trick" chants, Growl Towels, seven-straight NBA playoff appearances, a run to the 2013 Western Conference Finals and Chandler Parsons’ contract.

Their jerseys eventually will hang in the rafters of FedExForum, and we don't need a tweet from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj bomb!) to confirm that.

They’re survived by an absentee owner who oversaw their demise, a former general manager who brought them together and got sent to the NBA’s version of hospice (a dreaded scouting assignment) after mismanaging their assets and a 31-year-old executive vice president of basketball operations who’s now tasked with honoring their legacy.

They also leave behind potential franchise cornerstones in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant (once the Grizzlies presumably select him with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft); an injured player nicknamed Slo-Mo (Kyle Anderson); a couple of intriguing pieces acquired in the overdue departure of Gasol (Jonas Valanciunas and Delon Wright); a few veterans with expiring contracts (Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver and C.J. Miles); the unlikeliest longest-tenured Grizzly (Parsons); a Duke alumnus known for tripping opponents and on-court temper tantrums (Grayson Allen); several more potentially useful role players (Dillon Brooks, Bruno Caboclo and Ivan Rabb); as well as significant salary cap flexibility and two first-round picks, most notably the No. 23 selection in Thursday’s NBA draft, to help with the grief.

Hopefully at least one of those draft choices will be alongside Jackson and Morant for years to come during their quest to take over where the deceased left off.

The Core Four is preceded in death by Parsons' knees and four head coaches over the past six years – the coach who forged them (Lionel Hollins), the coach who kept them going (Dave Joerger), the coach who initially tried to kill them (David Fizdale) and the coach who saw them only in a weakened state (J.B. Bickerstaff).

Services will be held at FedExForum beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday night. In lieu of flowers, the Grizzlies ask that fans bring their most creative bootleg T-shirts featuring Ja Morant puns.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto