Quotes from Mike Conley Jr.

I feel young men and women of color need to be provided with equal opportunities no matter what their socioeconomic status may be.

It's not always an easy process when you bring in a whole new crew of guys because you trusted the last people so much that it's hard to build the same rapport again.

Well, Memphis isn't the most active city, but we find ways to have fun, whether it's going bowling, maybe to the movies, going out to eat. We eat a lot here because there's a lot of good food.

In Memphis we don't talk. We ball.

Memphis made me. I always say that. The experiences I had in that city and with those fans made me.

In Memphis I always had the ball.

I've never messed around with any fans. I've never yelled at anybody.

There's no better way of getting yourself back into a rhythm and back into game shape than playing a game. You can't really mimic that in practice.

Being an African-American, minority, or poor, you get in a tough situation and you don't get a fair shake.

I mostly play one-player games like 'Batman' and 'Assassin's Creed.'

I got used to being pushed down, getting my eye split open and guys talking trash.You have to learn to live with it and adapt to it. That's what I did.

Not everyone makes it to the national championship.

I'm tired of being underrated. I'm tired of being overlooked.

It's who I am. You win awards for sportsmanship and whatever, but that's just me being me. I'm not doing anything extra.

I hate the unknown.

I need to stay focused and concentrate on the little things I need to do to improve my game.

Normally after a game I want to eat something that I know is filling. Steak is one of my options for protein. For me, it's all about keeping my weight on. Because I'm more slender, I actually tend to lose weight during the season so I actually have to eat more so that I can keep the weight on.

We're looking at the court as X's and O's and plays that can happen, two three steps ahead of time. That's what the best point guards do. As you grow into a point guard that's what you learn, and eventually, you tend to grasp that.

I try to play defense and be an unselfish teammate.

So much of the game is mental, and that's one thing that I've always wanted to be good at. That if I miss a shot or make a bad play, to never let your opponent see that you are in duress or upset - that they've won in any way. So if I make a big game-time bucket or if I miss a shot, you'll see the same mannerisms. I move on to the next play.

I just know when I'm tired, I can't act tired. If I'm sick or mad or upset we're in a slump, that doesn't mean I stop talking and stop getting in people's faces. I have to do it.

If you make the All-Star team and you get the label next your name, for whatever reason, people will think, 'Oh, yeah, he's good now.' But if you don't have it, it's, 'Well, he's never made it, he's never done anything, so why would you think he's any better than this guy or the next guy.'

It is an honor and privilege to be able to be in a position to utilize my platform as a professional athlete to support the lives of others.

Nothing was ever easy in Memphis and I think that's why the fans were drawn to our team so much. It's because the way we played and the way we got overlooked and the respect that we didn't get most of the time was very similar to how the city felt and how the locals felt about life in general. It was an easy bond.