Mike Conley Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mike Conley

Conley with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013
No. 10 – Minnesota Timberwolves
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1987-10-11) October 11, 1987 (age 37) Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.
High school	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
College	Ohio State (2006–2007)
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
Pro career	2007–present
League	NBA
Career history
2007–2019	Memphis Grizzlies
2019–2023	Utah Jazz
2023–present	Minnesota Timberwolves
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (2021) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2013) 4× NBA Sportsmanship Award (2014, 2016, 2019, 2023) First-team All-Big Ten (2007) McDonald's All-American (2006) Third-team Parade All-American (2006)

Michael Alex Conley Jr. (born October 11, 1987) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mike was chosen as the fourth player overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Conley played for the Grizzlies for 12 seasons. He became their all-time leading scorer. In 2019, he was traded to the Utah Jazz. There, he made his first All-Star Game in 2021. Later, in 2023, he was traded again to the Timberwolves. Mike Conley holds the record for the most NBA Sportsmanship Awards, having won it four times.

College Career: Ohio State Buckeyes

In his first year at Ohio State, Mike Conley was a star player. He scored about 11.3 points per game. He also led the Big Ten Conference in assists with 6.1 per game. Conley and another talented freshman, Greg Oden, helped the Buckeyes win the Big Ten conference championship. They also reached the championship game of the NCAA Tournament.

On their way to the championship, the Buckeyes beat several strong teams. These included Central Connecticut State, Xavier, Tennessee, Memphis, and Georgetown. They lost the final game to Florida, who were national champions again. Conley's best game in the tournament was against Xavier. He scored 21 points, had 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Ohio State won that game in overtime. Conley scored 11 of his 21 points in the extra period.

By the end of his freshman year, Conley had scored 441 points and made 238 assists. He was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. After this great year, Conley decided to enter the 2007 NBA draft.

Professional Career: NBA Journey

Memphis Grizzlies (2007–2019)

Early Years: 2007–2010

Mike Conley joined his Ohio State teammates, Greg Oden and Daequan Cook, in the 2007 NBA draft. The Memphis Grizzlies picked Conley as the fourth player overall. Only Oden, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford were chosen before him.

Conley started playing more in January 2008. In his first five games, he scored 5, 10, 11, 11, and 15 points. He scored a season-high 20 points and had 7 assists in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Conley finished his first year averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 assists per game.

In his second year, Conley competed with Kyle Lowry for playing time. When the Grizzlies changed coaches in February 2009, Lowry was traded. This made Conley the starting point guard. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 assists that year. Conley became a full-time starter for the Grizzlies in 2009. He scored a season-high 25 points in March 2010. For the season, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 assists.

All-Defensive Team and Conference Finals: 2010–2014

On November 30, 2010, Conley scored a season-high 28 points. This helped the Grizzlies win a close game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 assists that year. This helped the Grizzlies reach the playoffs for the first time in five years. As the eighth seed, they surprised everyone by beating the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. This was only the second time an eighth-seeded team beat a first seed in a seven-game series. They then lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals.

In the shortened 2011–12 season, Conley played in 62 of 66 games. He averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 assists. The Grizzlies made the playoffs again but lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

The next year, Conley averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. The Grizzlies made the playoffs once more. They beat the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. This helped them reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their team's history. They then lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. Conley was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for his great defense.

Conley driving past Chris Paul in a game in November 2013

Conley averaged a career-high 17.2 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies made the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. They were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series. Conley also received the NBA Sportsmanship Award for being a great teammate and player.

Playoff Challenges: 2014–2019

On December 13, 2014, Conley scored a career-high 36 points. This helped the Grizzlies beat the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. The Grizzlies finished the season as the fifth seed in the Western Conference and made the playoffs. They beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Near the end of Game 3, Conley got a facial fracture. This made him miss the rest of the first round and Game 1 of the semifinals. He returned in Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors. Wearing a protective mask, he scored 21 points to lead Memphis to a win. Memphis eventually lost to the Warriors.

Mike Conley is known for his fair play. In 2014, he got what would have been his first technical foul. But league officials removed it the next day. As of May 2024, he has played over 34,000 minutes without getting a technical foul. This is the longest streak of any NBA player!

On October 31, 2015, Conley passed Shareef Abdur-Rahim to become third on the Grizzlies' all-time scoring list. He scored 22 points against the Brooklyn Nets. On January 18, 2016, Conley returned after missing six games with an Achilles injury. He had 15 points and 10 assists, helping the Grizzlies win. On March 12, he was ruled out for several weeks with a foot injury. He was later out for the rest of the season. The Grizzlies had many injured players and were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. On April 23, Conley received the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the second time.

On July 14, 2016, Conley signed a new contract with the Grizzlies. His five-year, $153 million deal was the biggest contract in NBA history at that time. On November 16, 2016, he scored 30 points and made a career-high seven three-pointers. On November 29, he was out for six to eight weeks with a broken bone in his back. He returned on December 16. In a game against the Sacramento Kings, Conley passed Pau Gasol to become the all-time leading scorer in Grizzlies history. On January 30, 2017, he scored 38 points against the Phoenix Suns. He made seven three-pointers again, matching his career best. On February 15, Conley passed Mike Miller for the most three-pointers in Grizzlies history. On March 29, he matched his career-high with seven three-pointers again, scoring 36 points.

On April 22, 2017, Conley scored a team playoff record of 35 points. This helped the Grizzlies win in overtime against the Spurs. The win tied the playoff series at 2–2.

Conley played in 12 games in the 2017–18 season before getting a left Achilles injury. On January 27, 2018, he was out for the rest of the season after needing surgery on his heel.

In the first game of the 2018–19 season, Conley played his first regular season game since November 2017. He scored 11 points and had three assists. On November 2, he scored a season-high 28 points against the Utah Jazz. On November 10, he set a new season high with 32 points. On November 30, Conley scored 37 points and had 10 assists in a double-overtime win. On March 5, 2019, he scored a career-high 40 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter of that game. On March 11, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career. On March 27, Conley passed Marc Gasol to become the Grizzlies' all-time leader in career points.

Utah Jazz (2019–2023)

First All-Star Selection: 2019–2021

On July 6, 2019, Conley was traded to the Utah Jazz. He made his Jazz debut on October 23, scoring five points and five assists. On October 30, he scored a season-high 29 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA held a virtual H–O–R–S–E competition. Conley won the first virtual NBA H–O–R–S–E Competition, raising $200,000 for charities.

On August 21, 2020, during the playoffs, Conley scored 27 points and made a playoff career-high seven 3-pointers. This was in a win against the Denver Nuggets. He had missed the first two games of the series because he was quarantined. Two days later, Conley scored 26 points. Even though the Jazz led the series 3–1, they lost to the Nuggets in seven games. After the 2019–20 season, Conley decided to stay with the Jazz for the final year of his contract.

On January 1, 2021, Conley scored a season-high 33 points against the Clippers. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career! He replaced the injured Devin Booker in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. His 14-year wait was the longest ever for a first-time All-Star. He also competed in the Three-Point Contest. Conley lost in the final round to Stephen Curry by one point.

On May 29, during the playoffs, Conley scored 27 points and matched his playoff career-high of seven 3-pointers. This was in a win against the Grizzlies. He missed the first five games of the Jazz's next playoff series due to a hamstring injury. Conley returned for Game 6, but the Jazz lost and were eliminated.

First-Round Exit and Team Changes: 2021–2023

On August 6, 2021, Conley signed a new contract with the Jazz. On November 2, he scored a season-high 30 points against the Sacramento Kings. The Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks. Conley averaged 9.2 points and 4.8 assists in that series.

After the 2021–22 season, the Jazz changed their team a lot. They traded away their star players, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Conley thought he would be traded too. But he stayed in Utah to start the 2022–23 season. Conley scored 13 points, had eight assists, and two steals in his first game of the season. Before being traded to Minnesota, he averaged almost 11 points per game.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–Present)

On February 9, 2023, Conley was traded to the Timberwolves in a three-team trade. This trade reunited him with his former Grizzlies teammate Kyle Anderson and Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert. He played his first game for the Timberwolves a day later, scoring nine points. On February 23, 2024, he signed a contract extension to stay with the team. On May 1, he was again named NBA Teammate of the Year.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Play-in

Playoffs

College

Mike Conley's Family Life

Mike Conley is a Christian. He often talks about his faith, saying, "Jesus means the world. Jesus means everything."

Mike's father is Mike Conley Sr.. He is an Olympic medalist who won gold and silver in the triple jump. Mike is also the nephew of Steve Conley, a former American football player.

On July 5, 2014, Mike Conley married Mary Peluso. They met while they were both at Ohio State. They have three sons together.

On September 18, 2024, Mike Conley's home was targeted by burglars. This happened while he was in Minneapolis for a Minnesota Vikings football game.

More About Mike Conley

In Spanish: Mike Conley, Jr. para niños