Mike Conley Shares Love For Utah, Michael Jordan In NBA Twitter Takeover

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley took the reins of the NBA’s Twitter account to answer questions from fans. The 13-year NBA veteran shared his thoughts on winning the NBA HORSE Challenge, the difference between living in Utah and Memphis, and Michael Jordan, one of his three favorite players growing up.

Conley has been one of the Jazz most public figures throughout the coronavirus pandemic that has sidelined the NBA over the last month and a half. The guard appeared in the two day ESPN broadcast featuring NBA and WNBA players competing in a game of HORSE.

Though the competition didn’t resemble an actual league game, Conley was happy to get an opportunity to be back on the floor.

“It felt good, it’s good to compete, it’s always good to have a basketball in your hand.” https://t.co/UTEWwgseNp

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 28, 2020

“It felt good, it’s good to compete,” Conley said, “It’s always good to have a basketball in your hand and playing a game like HORSE which I think all of us have played once or twice in our lifetime. It brings us back to the grassroots of the game, stuff that we used to do all the time.”

Conley ran away from the competition during the broadcast, ultimately beating Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine in the final matchup of the tournament. The Jazz guard has a long history with the game having made it a regular part of his training routine.

“I still play HORSE all the time, literally after every workout,” Conley said, “I come in and challenge whoever is in the gym to play and create all kinds of crazy shots so it definitely felt good to win.”

"Uh oh!"#TeamMike | @espn pic.twitter.com/sPeqWPtEe6

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 17, 2020

Perhaps Conley’s greatest advantage during the competition was his ambidextrous approach to the tournament Whenever the guard felt the urgency to guarantee his opponent a letter, he’d shoot a simply off-handed jump shot.

Though Conley is naturally right-handed, he prefers to shoot a basketball with his left hand. It’s a skill Conley said he’s been working on since he was a kid.

“It starts as early as you can grab a ball at three, four, five years old,” Conley advised, “Try to implement both hand dribbling, not straying away from using that off-hand. As you get older it because harder and harder, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t accomplish equal hand dominance. ”

The key to Mike Conley's ambidextrous game?

Start young. https://t.co/Bf29yzzTWC

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 28, 2020

“I was lucky enough to be right-handed for most of my life so my right hand is a little bit easier to grasp for basketball,” Conley said, “So just continue to work and not give up on it.”

Perhaps it should be no surprise Conley is such an adept HORSE player considering his favorite player growing up was Michael Jordan. No player in NBA history has a greater collection of in-game citrus shots than the Chicago Bulls great.

Conley mentioned in the Twitter takeover that Jordan, along with two other Jazz rivals were the players he most looked up to as a youngster.

“I think number one was actually Gary Payton, I was a big [Seattle] Sonics fan,” Conley remembered, “Obviously a Michael Jordan fan, so it 1A and 1B.”

Mike Conley considers two @UtahJazz rivals his favorite NBA players growing up. https://t.co/cm3nBCWRdq

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 28, 2020

“Isiah Thomas was also another one,” Conley said, “I was a big fan of his, I had a few guys I really looked up to.”

Payton, Jordan, and Thomas have found themselves back in the news recently with ESPN’s The Last Dance premiering two weekends ago, documenting Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls, and his many rivalries along the way that formed him to the player he became.

Jordan knocked off Payton and the Sonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and was able to break through against Thomas’ Detroit Pistons in 1991 en route to his first championship.

The Jazz guard has taken inspiration from Jordan in his approach to the game.

“The way that he strived to win everything, whether it’s basketball, golf, anything he wants to do,” Conley said, “He put everything into it. Just his competitive nature, that’s the one thing I try to bring, just compete every night, give everything you’ve got.”

It seems even Mike Conley has Michael Jordan fever. https://t.co/wsiFQKE46r

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 28, 2020

In addition to Conley’s on the court contributions, the veteran guard is one of the NBA’s most philanthropic players off the floor.

Though Conley hasn’t been able to lace up his sneakers, he’s found ways to continue his charitable nature during the league’s hiatus.

“It’s bigger than all of us right now, just continuing to try to help each other,” Conley said, “Trying to raise money towards COVID-19 relief through a bunch of different avenues. One I did recently was the All-In Challenge, I am going to donate an experience on there to hopefully raise some money.”

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I've accepted the #ALLINCHALLENGE. Let’s come together to help provide meals to those in need during this difficult time. Link in my bio for what I’m donating!! I challenge @epaschall @rolls_royce00 @kuz to go ALL IN.

A post shared by Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) on Apr 16, 2020 at 12:50pm PDT

Conley is joined by teammate Donovan Mitchell in the All-In challenge, a website that allows its users to bid on celebrity prizes with proceeds going to help food for needy communities, as well as communities hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mitchell is offering a plethora of game-worn equipment, early access to his new shoe line, and courtside seats to an upcoming Jazz game. To date, Mitchell’s auction has raised $15,000 in money to donate to the causes.

Though Conley has returned to his home state of Ohio during the pandemic to continue to work on his game in his own private gym, the guard says he misses things about both Memphis, the city where he began his NBA career, and Salt Lake City where he plays with the Jazz.

“Memphis has so many things I could speak on,” Conley said, “It’s truly southern hospitality and you don’t find it everywhere and it’s unique.”

“Everywhere we go, everybody is a die-hard @UtahJazz fan.” https://t.co/GSeg33gqPn

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 28, 2020

“Salt Lake has been unbelievable to me, my family loves it,” Conley said, “Everywhere we go everybody is a diehard Jazz fan and truly cares about your family.”