Mike Conley wins record-setting fourth NBA Sportsmanship Award
COLUMBUS — Former one-and-done Ohio State guard and longtime NBA starter Mike Conley etched his name into the program record book during his lone season with the Buckeyes.
Since, he’s played 16 NBA seasons and reached the 15,000 career points milestone. But the record he set Friday stands alone on his resume. It’s bigger than basketball.
Conley became the first player in league history to win the NBA Sportsmanship Award four times.
“To be able to win this award once says a lot to me let alone four times,” Conley said after receiving the accolade Friday night. “It just speaks on what I think is the most important thing: the character of us as human beings. There’s so much made about us as athletes and what we do on the court, our skills and the things that we’re able to do in front of you and entertain. This means so much more to me.”
The award is named in honor of Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time league champion who was also named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Dumars received the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award during the 1995-96 season.
Conley won the award in 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2018-19 when he was with the Memphis Grizzlies, who selected him the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. This time, however, he earned the recognition with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who he was traded to at the deadline this past season.
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Conley is the first player in Timberwolves history to win the NBA Sportsmanship Award.
The award’s winner “represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” according to the league release, and was confidentially voted on by close to 300 NBA players. Conley emerged as one of six finalists (one from each NBA division), a batch of players that was whittled down from the original list of 30 nominees (one from each NBA team).
“If there’s one thing I could take away from being 17 years in the NBA, I want to take four of these away, along with an NBA championship,” Conley said. “But taking four of these away just speaks to so many people ahead of you and people before you: your family, your mother, your father, your brothers, your sister, your teammates, coaches — everybody’s who’s impacted your life in a positive way. Even the negative things in life, the things that have made you stronger, the things that have made you more aware, things that have brought more out of you. It says a lot.
“I’m truthfully just super surprised right now and super thankful.”
During the 2022-23 season, Conley made a combined 66 starts for the Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, averaging 11.9 points and 6.7 assists per game. For his career, Conley has played in 1,025 games, posting averages of 14.7 points and 5.7 assists per game.
He’s Ohio State’s all-time, single-season record holder for assists (238). He also set the program’s freshman, single-season record for steals (87).