Without a doubt, Mike Conley is far closer to the end of his career than the beginning. The 2025-26 season will be his 19th in the league, putting him just one year away from two full decades as an NBA player. Recently, the website HoopsHype posted an interview with the 38-year-old where they talked about a multitude of topics, including thoughts of retirement.
Mike Conley looking to reach 20-season milestone
Conley’s rookie season came with the Grizzlies in 2007-08. He has also played for the Jazz, and now is rostered by the Timberwolves.
In the interview with HoopsHype, they mention how he stated earlier in the interview that he was looking to reach 20 years in the NBA. He was then asked if he thinks about retirement.
"There hasn't been a day that I have felt like I should retire yet, Conley said. I think that's the day when I do feel it. That's the day I'll be like, all right, it's time to go. But for the most part, I take care of my body pretty well. I do the things I'm supposed to do diet-wise and be ready to go every night. And, I think it'll come to a point where, you get kind of overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do in order to stay at par to keep up with these guys, that it just becomes too much. But so far it's not there, so hopefully we can squeeze a little bit more juice out of this thing."
Over the last two years, Conley has appeared in 147 of a possible 164 outings. So he has mostly remained healthy enough to play.
It was thought by some in the offseason that there was a possibility that Conley could lose his stranglehold on the starting point guard role. It seems, at least to start the season, though, that Conley will remain in that spot.
Conley is a free agent after this season
If Conley is able to make it to 20 NBA seasons, it may be in a different uniform. He is scheduled to become a free agent after this year.
It is extremely impressive for a man of his size (listed at 6-foot, 175 lbs.) to last in the league this long. There have only been 11 players in league history to reach 20 years (Kyle Lowry will be the 12th after he plays his first game with the 76ers this season).
In the meantime, Conley is hoping to lead the Timberwolves to a place they’ve never been, the NBA finals. Conley has also never experienced an NBA finals in his career. The regular season opens on October 22 for the Timberwolves when they go on the road to take on the Trail Blazers.