NBA Rumors: Former Grizzlies Star Braces For Tough Road Back Home

For some NBA players, returning home to a place and playing before a crowd for so many years would be hard to overcome. And for Mike Conley, who spent roughly 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, playing against his former team does affect him. In fact, it is a day that he dreads but knows will happen. It all goes down on November 15.

The 31-year-old guard spoke recently with Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype and admitted that it will be tough returning to Memphis. Conley was traded to the Utah Jazz last June for Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, the No. 23 pick in the 2019 Draft and a future first-round pick, NBA.com reported.

“Man, whenever that day comes, I honestly don’t know how I’ll feel,” Conley said. “I don’t even know where the visiting locker room is! I’ve really never been over there! I’ll have a lot of emotions, I’m sure. I’m not a guy who shows a lot of emotion on the court – good or bad – but it’ll probably be one of the tougher moments of my career.”

For NBA fans who followed the league since last season, it was apparent that Conley would be dealt away. In fact, most were expecting it to happen as early as the February trade deadline with the Grizzlies looking to break up and overhaul the roster.

Only Marc Gasol was traded to eventual the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, and a 2024 second-round pick. As most know by now, that move proved beneficial for the Spanish big man since he was sent to a team that went on to win the 2018-19 NBA title.

For Conley, it remains to be seen if he too will eventually savor NBA success. He is surrounded by a talented young squad although he is expected to try and fit in during the early stages of the coming NBA season. When he returns to Memphis, he is likely to get nostalgic and be given a standing ovation for the years he has dazzled local fans.

" I think we’re at the stage where we’re just working and trying to stay humble and stay focused and respect the game. At the end of the day, if we do all of the things I said, we have a good enough team, a good enough organization and good enough coaches to give ourselves a chance," said the 2019 NBA Teammate of the Year in that interview with Hoops Hype.