Mike Conley stood near half court as his starting Minnesota Timberwolves teammates walked up and did their handshakes before tip-off against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As Conley stood there on Jan. 31 at FedExForum, fans yelled his name. He turned his head toward the Grizzlies fans, smiled and lifted his hand in the air to show his appreciation.
Conley, 38, is in his 19th NBA season. He spent his first 12 with the Grizzlies, where the fan base still showers him with love.
“A lot of memories, man,” he said. “Honestly, you just feel the love everywhere you go around here. The fans are unreal. They’ve always been loyal. They’ve always kind of stuck with you regardless of where you end up at. To come back in the building and you look up and see familiar faces everywhere, it’s always a good trip going to Memphis.”
Conley and the Timberwolves had an extended stay with a two-game slate in three days. Minnesota won the first matchup; the Grizzlies ended their six-game losing streak Feb. 2, beating the Timberwolves 137-128.
As Conley walked off the floor, he was greeted by cheering fans again. Could this be his last game appearance at FedExForum? He doesn’t know. His mind is focused on having fun and not taking these games for granted.
“Every game I play from here on out, I think about is this my last game,” he said. “I know I want to play more years, but you just never know how things work. Injuries happen, teams move on, you never know.”
Conley is in the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves. If this is the end, Grizzlies fans made him feel appreciated.
Potentially, his next visit to FedExForum would be when his No. 11 jersey is retired (the number he wore while on the Grizzlies). The team is planning to honor Conley after his playing career, uniting him in history with his former “Core Four” teammates Tony Allen, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the last current Grizzlies player to have been a teammate of Conley’s in Memphis — in 2018-19, Jackson’s rookie season.
“Every time I see him, I just make sure he looks up at all those jerseys retired and understands that he’s going to be up there,” Jackson said. “He’s done so much for this place. We overlapped in a short time period, but it was dope. That’s my (point guard) right there. He was making the game easy.”
This was the first time Conley was able to see Allen’s jersey hanging in the rafters at FedExForum; a scheduling conflict had prevented him from attending Allen’s jersey retirement ceremony.
When his jersey joins his teammates’ in the rafters, Conley has one request.
“I don’t want to be next to Tony, man,” Conley said, smiling. “Put me next to Z-Bo or Marc. Put me on the other side. Tony a little too much.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
