Michael Alex "Mike" Conley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player
who currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball
Association. Listed at 6 ft 1 in, he plays the point guard position. Conley
has played with the Grizzlies since being drafted fourth overall in the 2007
NBA draft. Conley is the son of Olympic gold and silver medalist triple jumper
Mike Conley, Sr., nephew of former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Steve
Conley and grandson of Alex Conley. 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.
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. 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. 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.
= College statistics= NBA career
= Memphis Grizzlies= 2007 NBA draft
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. 2007–08 season
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. Conley finished his rookie year with averages of 9.4 points and 4.2
assists per game. 2008–09 season
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.
2009–10 season 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. 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
would go on to beat the Spurs in six games and became only the second eight
seed to defeat a one seed in a seven-game series in NBA history. They
would then lose 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. 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.
2015–16 season On October 31, 2015, Conley surpassed
Shareef Abdur-Rahim 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. NBA career statistics
= Regular season= = Playoffs=
Personal life Conley is a Christian. Conley has spoken
about his faith saying, "Jesus means the world. Jesus means everything."
Footwear and endorsements Conley is an endorser of the Adidas
brand of footwear and apparel and has worn various Adidas basketball shoe
models during NBA games, including the Adidas Crazylight Boost.
See also 2006 high school boys basketball
All-Americans References
External links Career statistics and player information
from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
Ohio State bio RealGM.com Profile