Mike Conley's time in Memphis may have come to a close, but his legacy will be forever.
After trading Conley to the Utah Jazz before this year's NBA Draft, Grizzlies owner Robert J. Pera released a statement thanking Conley for his contributions to the team and the city of Memphis while announcing plans to retire his No. 11 jersey.
"Mike Conley represented the Grizzlies and the City of Memphis with true heart and class during his 12 seasons," Pera said in a statement. "His talent, determination and resilience elevated our team to a perennial playoff contender, and his altruism and sportsmanship helped shape the community focused nature of our franchise. For his innumberable contributions on the court and in our community, Mike will always be a beloved Memphian. We are proud that Mike's #11 jersey will one day be raised to the rafters in FedEx Forum."
The @memgrizz today released the following statement from Robert J. Pera regarding Mike Conley: pic.twitter.com/cf8FfwuY22
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) July 6, 2019
Conley leaves Memphis as the team's all-time leading scorer and was recognized a number of times for his leadership and unselfishness as a teammate, winning the Sportsmanship Award three different times, as well as the Teammate of the Year Award last season.
In 12 seasons with the Grizzlies, Conley has averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 31-year-old former Buckeye is coming off a career-high 21.1 points per game last season.
