Mike Conley Jr.

Mike Conley Jr.
Conley with the Memphis Grizzlies in November 2013
No. 11 – Memphis Grizzlies
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1987-10-11) October 11, 1987
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Lawrence North
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
College Ohio State (2006–2007)
NBA draft 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
Playing career 2007–present
Career history
2007–present Memphis Grizzlies
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Michael Alex Conley Jr. (born October 11, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been a member of the Grizzlies since the team drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Conley is the son of Mike Conley Sr., an Olympic gold and silver medalist in the triple jump.

High school career

Conley attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, where he helped lead the team to three straight state championships and an overall record of 103–7 in his four years as the starting point guard. His senior year, he dished out a total of 123 assists. Conley finished second in the voting of the Indiana Mr. Basketball award to his teammate Greg Oden, who was the national player of the year. He was selected to the McDonald's All American team. Conley was also named a third-team Parade All-American.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Conley was listed as the No. 3 point guard and the No. 18 player in the nation in 2006.[1]

He committed to Ohio State University as a part of the number two recruiting class in the country that year along with fellow AAU teammates Daequan Cook, Greg Oden, and Mark Titus.

College career

His freshman year, Conley averaged 11.3 points and was the leader in the Big Ten Conference in assists with 6.1 per game. Conley and fellow freshman star Greg Oden led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a Big Ten conference championship and a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament.[2]

On the road to the championship game, Ohio State defeated Central Connecticut State, Xavier, Tennessee, Memphis and Georgetown, only to lose in the championship game to the repeat national champions Florida. Conley's best performance in the tournament came against Xavier. He recorded 21 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks as Ohio State defeated Xavier in overtime. Greg Oden fouled out in regulation and Conley scored 11 of his 21 points in the extra period to lead the Buckeyes to a victory.[3]

Conley ended his season with totals of 441 points and 238 assists and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Following his freshman season, Conley announced his intention to enter the 2007 NBA draft along with Oden. He initially did not sign with an agent in order to preserve his eligibility to withdraw from the draft but ended up signing with his father several weeks before the draft.[4]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 Ohio State 393931.6.518.304.6943.46.12.2.311.3
Career 393931.6.518.304.6943.46.12.2.311.3

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2007–present)

Early years

Conley joined fellow Buckeye teammates Greg Oden and Daequan Cook in declaring for the 2007 NBA draft. Conley and Oden were represented by Conley's father who became certified as an agent by the NBA just prior in the year. Conley was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick after Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford.

Conley made his first major appearances in January 2008. Conley's first five career games, he scored 5, 10, 11, 11, and 15 points respectively. He scored a season-high 20 points with 7 assists in a 134–124 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[5] Conley finished his rookie year with averages of 9.4 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Conley started his sophomore campaign competing with Kyle Lowry for minutes. On January 25, 2009, the Grizzlies named Lionel Hollins head coach after firing previous head coach Mark Iavaroni. On February 19, 2009, Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets, putting Conley in the starting lineup. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 assists per game on the year.

Conley became the permanent starter for the Grizzlies in 2009. He scored a season high 25 points on March 31, 2010 in the Grizzlies' 102–106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[6] He averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 assists on the season.

2010–11 season

On November 30, Conley had a season-high 28 points in a 98–96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Conley averaged 13.7 and 6.5 assists on the year to help the Grizzlies make the playoffs for the first time in five years. They entered with the eighth seed in the Western Conference and were matched up with the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Conley and the Grizzlies went on to defeat the Spurs in six games and became only the second eighth seeded team to defeat a first seed in a seven-game series in NBA history. They then lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semi-finals in seven games.

2011–12 season

In the lockout shortened season, Conley played 62 of the 66 games and averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 assists. Conley and the Grizzlies would make the playoffs but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round.

2012–13 season

On the year, Conley averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game as the Grizzlies made the playoffs once again. They eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on the way to reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. They then lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. Conley was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time.

2013–14 season

Conley averaged a career-high 17.2 points, 6.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game on the year as the Grizzles made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. They were then eliminated in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games. Conley was the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

2014–15 season

On December 13, 2014, Conley scored a career-high 36 points to help the Grizzlies defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 120–115 in overtime.[7] The Grizzlies finished the season as the fifth seed in Western Conference and made the playoffs once again. They faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round and defeated them in five games. At the end of Game 3 in the series, Conley suffered a facial fracture and missed the rest of the first round. He also missed Game 1 of the semi-finals against the Golden State Warriors. Conley returned in Game 2, while donning a protective mask, and scored 21 points to lead Memphis to a victory. However, they eventually lost the series in six games.[8]

Conley received his first technical foul in 2014 but it was overturned by the NBA the following day; as of April 2017 he has yet to get a technical foul—by far the longest streak of any NBA player.[9]

2015–16 season

On October 31, 2015, Conley surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim (7,801) for third on the Grizzlies' career scoring list. He scored 22 points against the Brooklyn Nets to finish the game with 7,821 career points.[10] On January 18, 2016, Conley returned to the lineup after missing six games with a sore left Achilles and recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 assists, helping the Grizzlies defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 101–99. Earlier that day, he was named one of the 30 finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.[11] On March 12, he was ruled out for three to four weeks with a left foot injury.[12] He was later ruled out for the rest of the season on April 4 following a re-evaluation by team doctors, and hoping to return during playoffs.[13] The injury-riddled Grizzlies finished seventh in the Western Conference, and without Conley and Marc Gasol, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. On April 23, Conley was awarded the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the second time.[14]

2016–17 season

On July 14, 2016, Conley re-signed with the Grizzlies.[15] His reported five-year, $153 million deal was the greatest contract by total value in NBA history at that point in time.[16] On November 16, 2016, he scored 30 points and hit a career high-tying seven three-pointers in a 111–107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[17] On November 29, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a fractured vertebrae.[18] He returned to action on December 16 after missing nine games. In the Grizzlies' 96–92 loss to the Sacramento Kings, Conley passed Pau Gasol to become the all-time leading scorer in Grizzlies franchise history.[19] On January 30, 2017, he scored a career-high 38 points in a 115–98 win over the Phoenix Suns. Conley matched his career best with seven three-pointers (in 10 attempts) and made 12 of 18 shots overall in his fourth 30-point game of the season—he previously had just five over his entire career.[20] On February 15 against New Orleans, Conley passed Mike Miller for the most three-pointers in franchise history with 845.[21] On March 29, he matched his career high with seven three-pointers on his way to 36 points, helping the Grizzlies rout the Indiana Pacers 110–97.[22]

On April 22, 2017, Conley scored a franchise postseason record 35 points in a 110–108 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs. The win tied the first-round series at 2–2.[23]

2017–18 season

Conley appeared in 12 of the Grizzlies' first 13 games of the 2017–18 season before suffering a left Achilles injury.[24] On January 27, 2018, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after requiring surgery to smooth a small bone protrusion in his left heel.[25]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Memphis 534626.1.428.330.7322.64.2.8.09.4
2008–09 Memphis 826130.6.442.406.8173.44.31.1.110.9
2009–10 Memphis 808032.1.445.387.7432.45.31.4.212.0
2010–11 Memphis 818135.5.444.369.7333.06.51.8.213.7
2011–12 Memphis 626135.1.433.377.8612.56.52.2.212.7
2012–13 Memphis 808034.5.440.362.8302.86.12.2.314.6
2013–14 Memphis 737333.5.450.361.8152.96.01.5.217.2
2014–15 Memphis 707031.8.446.386.8593.05.41.3.215.8
2015–16 Memphis 565631.4.422.363.8342.96.11.2.315.3
2016–17 Memphis 696833.2.459.407.8593.56.31.3.320.5
2017–18 Memphis 121231.1.381.312.8032.34.11.0.317.1
Career 71868832.5.441.377.8142.95.71.5.214.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Memphis 131339.0.388.297.8303.86.41.1.215.2
2012 Memphis 7739.6.421.500.7503.37.1.9.014.1
2013 Memphis 151538.3.384.281.7634.77.11.7.317.0
2014 Memphis 7738.1.431.111.7694.67.92.0.115.9
2015 Memphis 8830.4.427.303.8211.15.01.4.014.4
2017 Memphis 6637.3.485.447.8383.37.01.7.524.7
Career 565637.4.414.317.7923.76.71.4.216.5

Personal life

Conley is a Christian. Conley has spoken about his faith saying, "Jesus means the world. Jesus means everything."[26]

Conley's father is Mike Conley Sr. who was the Olympic gold and silver medalist in the triple jump. He is also the nephew of former American football linebacker Steve Conley.

On July 5, 2014, Conley married his girlfriend Mary Peluso, whom he met at Ohio State.[27] In 2016, the couple welcomed their first child, Myles Alex Conley.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mike Conley Recruiting Profile
  2. ↑ Mike Conley Stats, Video, Bio, Profile
  3. ↑ Ohio State overcomes late deficit, wins in overtime
  4. ↑ Source: Oden ends speculation, to declare for NBA
  5. ↑ Mike Conley 2007–08 Game Log
  6. ↑ Mike Conley 2009–10 Game Log
  7. ↑ Conley's 36 lead Grizzlies past 76ers in overtime
  8. ↑ Mike Conley 2014–15 Game Log
  9. ↑ Cohen, Ben (April 13, 2017). "The NBA Player Who Is Technically Perfect". Wall Street Journal.
  10. ↑ Conley scores 22 points as Grizzlies defeat Nets 101–91
  11. ↑ Gasol helps Memphis beat New Orleans 101–99
  12. ↑ Mike Conley & Chris Anderson Update
  13. ↑ Sources: Mike Conley (Achilles) unlikely to return to Grizzlies lineup
  14. ↑ "Mike Conley awarded 2015-16 NBA's Sportsmanship Award". NBA.com. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Grizzlies re-sign Mike Conley to multi-year contract". NBA.com. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ Stein, Marc (July 2, 2016). "Sources: Mike Conley, Grizzlies agree in principle on 5-year, $153 million deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Grizzlies beat Clippers 111-107 on Gasol's late 3-pointer". ESPN.com. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  18. ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian (November 29, 2016). "Sources: Mike Conley out 6 to 8 weeks with fractured vertebrae". Yahoo.com. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Cousins, Koufos lead Kings to 96-92 win over Grizzlies". ESPN.com. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Conley scores career-high 38, Grizzlies rout Suns 115-96". ESPN.com. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Hill's 23 points, 18 from Davis lead Pelicans past Grizzlies". ESPN.com. February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Conley scores 36 as Grizzlies rout Pacers 110-97". ESPN.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Tied at 2: Gasol lifts Grizzlies past Spurs 110-108 in OT". ESPN.com. April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Mike Conley 2017-18 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Grizzlies announce medical update for Conley, Parsons, Green and Ennis". NBA.com. January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Memphis Grizzlies point guard Conley lives for Jesus on, off basketball court". thealabamabaptist.org. March 7, 2013. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  27. ↑ Nasrallah, Ramzy (July 6, 2014). "MIKE CONLEY GOT MARRIED YESTERDAY". elevenwarriors.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ Tillery, Ronald (September 16, 2014). "Marc Gasol cleared to play as Grizzlies approach training camp". commercialappeal.com. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
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