Mary Conley: Life as an NBA Star’s Wife
Mary’s Instagram
Explore the highlights of this week's Sportsish podcast with me, where we delve into topics ranging from college romance to NBA playoffs. In this episode, Lily sits down with Mary Conley, the wife of NBA veteran and Minnesota Timberwolves player Mike Conley. Mary offers a candid look into her journey of balancing motherhood and life as an NBA wife.
Mary grew up as an Ohio girl playing field hockey in high school, coming from what she calls a "Buckeye family." In 2007, she met Michael Conley Jr. as a freshman at Ohio State, where Mike was on the basketball team. "We went out, and that was that," Conley says. This summer, they're celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
Mary’s Instagram
"I never even saw one Ohio State basketball game ever," Mary joked. Soon into their relationship, Mike declared for the NBA Draft. Mary admits, "To me, I was so study-focused that that was just a whole new path of life that I never knew anything about." Mike was the 4th pick and has had a fantastic career since then. During that time, Mary and Mike decided to focus on themselves as she pursued her education, and he started playing in the NBA. The two had a "great friendship throughout those few years" apart. They got together once Mary graduated college in 2010 and moved to Memphis, where he played for the Memphis Grizzlies. They got married in 2014.
As she's watched the Timberwolves make the playoff push this year, she says, "what's really neat to watch is to see the impact it has on the city and the community." She sees how they're making history and changing lives, and it reminds her of what Mike did while playing in Memphis for 12 years. She talks about how Mike "fights hard" and carries the perspective of each game being a stepping stone and how he's constantly "looking one game in front."
Mike Conley has received a lot of awards for being an NBA "good guy," as Lily calls it. Mary says, "We always stay true to who we are, which is always to care about others, be there for your team, and put them first." Yet everyone seems to tell Mary she's so lucky to have him. She explains that while she is incredibly lucky, "those are also my expectations that I set for who my spouse would be, who the father of my children would be." She feels Mike is deserving of all the awards.
Mike Conley’s Instagram
As Mary reflects on her time in the NBA for the last 14 years, she says, "hearing the stories constantly from fans about how impactful my husband is to their child or their families or the community" always stands out. She also loves "being a sounding board for the younger generation" as partners of NBA players learn to navigate and adjust to the lifestyle.
Mary values her connections with the players, partners, and community of each place they have lived during Mike's career. She said that in 30 years, what she will remember most is "meeting people." She makes an effort to get everyone's numbers and to make sure no one feels left out. Mike and Mary count the people they've met on this journey as family.
The Timberwolves are playing the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference championship of the NBA playoffs. Dallas currently leads the series 3-1. Mary shares how having so much at stake could cause a "total shift in lifestyle" because the season is over, just like if the Timberwolves lose another game. Regardless of who you're cheering for in the NBA playoffs, we can all agree that Mary and Mike Connolly are worth rooting for. Go Wolves!