Michael Alexander Conley Jr. (born October 11, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Mike Conley Jr. played basketball for Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Conley played alongside Greg Oden, a future Ohio State teammate and NBA first-overall draft pick. The duo won three state championships and 103 games during their four years at high school. Conley spent 12 seasons with the Grizzlies and became the team's all-time leading scorer before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019, where he would make his first All-Star Game in 2021, before being traded again to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023, where he played for three seasons. Conley has the most NBA Sportsmanship Awards of all time, with four selections. On July 7, 2026, Conley signed with the Boston Celtics.
In his freshman year at Ohio State, Conley averaged 11.3 points and led the Big Ten Conference in assists with 6.1 per game. Conley and fellow freshman star Greg Oden led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten conference championship and a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament.
On the road to the championship game, the Buckeyes defeated Central Connecticut State, Xavier, Tennessee, Memphis, and Georgetown. They lost the championship game to the repeat national champion Florida. Conley's best performance in the tournament was in the game against Xavier. He recorded 21 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks as Ohio State defeated the Musketeers in overtime. Oden fouled out in regulation, and Conley scored 11 of his 21 points in the extra period.
Ending the season with totals of 441 points and 238 assists, Conley was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.
After his freshman year, Conley announced his intention to enter the 2007 NBA draft, as did Oden. To preserve his eligibility to withdraw from the draft, he initially did not sign with an agent, but he signed with his father several weeks before the draft.
Conley joined fellow Buckeyes Greg Oden and Daequan Cook in declaring for the 2007 NBA draft; both Conley and Oden were represented by Conley's father, whom the NBA certified as an agent earlier in the year. The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Conley as the fourth overall pick after Oden, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford.
Conley had his first major appearances in January 2008. In his 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.
Conley started his sophomore campaign competing with Kyle Lowry for minutes. On January 25, 2009, the Grizzlies made Lionel Hollins the head coach after Marc Iavaroni was fired. On February 19, 2009, Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets, which put Conley in the starting lineup. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 assists per game for the year.
Conley cemented his role as a full-time starter for the Grizzlies in 2009. He posted a season high of 25 points on March 31, 2010, during a 106–102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 assists on the season.
2010–2014: All-Defensive Team selection and Conference finals
On November 30, 2010, Conley put up a season-high 28 points in a 98–96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 13.7 and 6.5 assists on the year to help the Grizzlies make the playoffs for the first time in five years. Entering with the eighth seed in the Western Conference, they defeated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in six games in the first round, making NBA history as only the second eighth-seeded team to defeat a first seed in a seven-game series. They then lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the semifinals.
In the shortened lockout season, Conley played 62 of the Grizzlies' 66 games, during which he averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 assists. The Grizzlies made the playoffs but fell in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.
That 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 to reach 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.
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 season. They were eliminated in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series. Conley received the NBA Sportsmanship Award.
2014–2019: playoff disappointment
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 the Western Conference, making the playoffs once again. They defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in five games. Near the end of game 3, Conley suffered a facial fracture, which forced him to miss the rest of the first round. He also missed game 1 of the semifinals against the Golden State Warriors. Conley returned in game 2 of the series and, while wearing a protective mask, scored 21 points to lead Memphis to a victory. Memphis eventually lost to the Warriors in six games.
In 2014, Conley received what would have been the first technical foul of his NBA career, but it was overturned by league officials the next day; as of May 2025 he has yet to record a technical in over 34,000 minutes played, having by far the longest streak without one of any NBA player.