SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley took part in a Q&A session on Twitter on Tuesday, answering fan-submitted questions that ranged from his basketball idols to what Conley has enjoyed about Utah.
In short video clips Conley answered six questions. With the “The Last Dance” — the docuseries from ESPN chronicling Michael Jordan’s final title run with the Chicago Bulls — having aired episodes 3 and 4 on Sunday, Jordan is fresh on everyone’s mind and the first question that Conley answered was regarding what Jordan has meant to Conley.
“Michael Jordan is No. 1,” Conley said. “His competitive nature, that’s the one thing I try to bring every night.”
In a later response to a question about his favorite players growing up, Conley said he was a huge Seattle SuperSonics and in turn a big fan of Gary Payton, who spent 13 years with the Sonics. He also again mentioned Jordan along with Isiah Thomas.
Conely recently showed off his ambidextrous abilities when he won ESPN’s HORSE tournament, using offhand shots to make things difficult for his opponents. During the Q&A session a fan asked how Conley trained his offhand so effectively.
“Honestly it takes a lot of work and starts as early as you can grab a ball,” Conley said. “Try to implement both-hand dribbling and not straying away from using that offhand. As you get older it becomes harder and harder but it doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish equal hand dominance.”
The 13-year NBA veteran touched on his use of social media in order to try to raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and to remind everyone to be mindful and safe during this time.
He closed out the session by sharing what he loves about the two cities he has played professionally in, Memphis and Salt Lake City. Conley spent the first 12 years of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies before joining the Jazz this past offseason, so his knowledge and care for Memphis runs deep. He noted the genuine nature of the people of Memphis and how much he fondly remembers his time there before speaking on his time spent in Utah.
“Salt Lake has been unbelievable to me,” he said. “My family loves it. Obviously some of the best fans in the world. Truly a different experience for us, I think being in the mountains and altitude has been an adjustment. But, everywhere you go everyone is a diehard Jazz fan and truly care about you and your family.”