Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley makes donation to local communities

JAYLON THOMPSON

May 20th, 2020, 4:54 PM

Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley is giving back to local communities to aid those combating the coronavirus pandemic. Conley will donate $200,000 to six organizations in five cities that have been impacted by the coronavirus.

The six organizations are located across the nation. Conley will distribute the funds to the Utah Food Bank in Salt Lake City; CodeCrew in Memphis, Tennessee; Community Shelter Board and Columbus Urban League in Columbus, Ohio; the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation in Indianapolis; and the New Haven Missionary Baptist Church in West Helena, Arkansas.

“Community has been important to me,” Conley said. “I will be donating to six organizations in five cities that are doing incredible work in communities I have been a part of. Thank you and I will see you soon.”

Conley played 41 games with the Jazz this season. He averaged 13.8 points per game and shot 40.5 percent from the field. He also dished out 4.3 assists and grabbed 3.2 rebounds for the Jazz.

In his 13-year career, Conley has been a model of consistency. He has helped the Memphis Grizzlies grow their brand with 12 solid seasons. He also made the 2012-2013 All-Defensive team for his efforts.

Prior to the NBA, Conley starred at Ohio State. He is from Arkansas and played his high school seasons at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. At each stop, Conley has been an active part of the community.

In a released statement from the Jazz, via Deseret News, the NBA veteran looks forward to helping out the community in any way possible.

“Giving back and helping others is very important to me,” Conley said. “The COVID-19 crisis has allowed me to slow down and appreciate who I am and where I am in life,” said Conley in a statement released by the Utah Jazz. “It has reminded me that I am in this position because of the support and sacrifices of others I’ve encountered all along the way. I wanted to be there for the communities that have been fundamental to my personal growth.”

Several professional athletes are doing their part to help in times of need. Fellow Arkansas native and former NBA player Sonny Weems announced last week that he is donating KN95 masks to residents in the West Memphis. He plans to give out nearly 7,000 masks to families in the area.

“My grandmother works in the nursing home," Weems said. "She actually told me that she doesn’t have enough masks where she works, and that kind of prompted me to go ahead and get it started.”

The NBA is working through plans for a return to basketball. They will continue to abide by required guidelines by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that states Large, crowded areas should be avoided as movie theaters, work conferences and other traffic-heavy events are being shut down across the country per state jurisdictions at the urging of the CDC. Disneyland in California, as well as Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Florida, all closed their gates to visitors in mid-March amid coronavirus concerns.

Check out the 247 article here