Mike Conley has been with the Memphis Grizzlies in the ultra-competitive Western Conference for his entire career, leading the Grit n’ Grind Grizzlies through multiple playoff runs as the team’s point guard and leader. However, despite respectable playoff success and numbers, the former Ohio State guard has never been selected to the NBA’s All-Star game.
In a recent interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic, Conley reflected on his past seasons in the league and states the frustration that goes along with the lack of All-Star selections and overall recognition he’s received in the Association:
“It’s gotten more frustrating as I get older. I’m 31 now. I’m 12 years in. At some point, you know the game will have to end for you. Hopefully, it’s seven, eight years from now, but at the end of the day, when I look back on it, and all that I’ve accomplished in my career and you think about all of those things and there are so many missed opportunities for recognition, in different ways. And that’s been eating at me, for a while.”
Conley, who is coming off an injury-riddled 2017-18 campaign that culminated in season-ending surgery, has bounced back in a huge way for the Grizzlies, averaging a career-high 21.1 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. Moreover, the Grizzlies are sitting near the top of the Western Conference with an encouraging, if not surprising, 14-9 start in the again-loaded West.
It’s been recognized, especially after the signing of his five-year, $153 million contract extension in 2016, that Mike Conley has never been selected to an All-Star game. That says more about the competitive nature of the Western Conference and the abundance of All-Star caliber guards in the league today than Conley himself. However, with the career numbers he’s putting up and the current state of the Grizzlies, this could be the year for the 31-year-old point guard.
