430 NBA Star Mike Conley on Humility, Discipline and Getting Back Up

"The process is more important than the actual result." - Mike Conley Jr If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/430 Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This is episode number 430 with NBA basketball star Mike Conley.

• 0:08Lewis Howes?

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:33Speaker 00

  Welcome everyone to the School of Greatness podcast. We have another fellow friend from Ohio. That's right. You guys know that I'm from Ohio and I love when I get to interview other people who are from Ohio or who have done amazing things in Ohio. And Mike Conley is a former basketball player at the Ohio State and he is also an NBA basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is a point guard and he has played with the Grizzlies since being drafted fourth overall in the 2007 draft. And recently, he passed Pau Gasol to become the all-time leading scorer in the franchise history.

• 1:12Speaker 00

  And he's also created history with his five-year, $153 million contract as it's the highest paid contract of any basketball player of all time. Very cool to hear his story and to hear what he's done and all of his hard work, how it's paid off. Some of the things we talk about are how to cultivate a champion's mindset and really what it was like growing up with a father who was an Olympic medalist and how he trained and conditioned his mind growing up to be where he's at today. We also talk about Mike's pre-game ritual to get his mind ready before every single game, what he does. I think you're going to find it fascinating.

• 1:52Speaker 00

  Also, how to get back on track if you feel off in any way from your usual game. What Mike is most proud of off the court, his non-negotiables that he practices every single day and so much more, guys. I hope you enjoy this one. Make sure to share it with your friends.

• 2:10Lewis Howes?

  Friends, LewisHowes.com/430. Tag me on social media, tag Mike as well. And you got all the show notes for Mike and his social and where you can connect with him back at the link. All right, guys, without further ado, let me introduce to you the one, the only, Mike Conley.

• 2:33Lewis Howes?

  All right, welcome everyone to the School of Greatness Podcast. We have the legend, Mike Conley in the house, man. It's good to see you.

• 2:39Speaker 02

  Good to see you, thank you.

• 2:40Lewis Howes?

  Good to meet you. You know, I had to wear the Ohio State shirt. Anytime I get to connect with someone from Ohio or that played at Ohio State, it's always fun for me. And we've got some mutual friends with Brandon from Lamp Apparel. So, very excited, man. You've had an incredible 10-year career with the same team in the NBA. You're the highest-paid NBA player of, in history. You broke, you made history, which is amazing. And you've just done some incredible things since you've been playing, man. And you also grew up with a father who was an Olympian, is that correct? He won a triple jump. Is that what you're right?

• 3:18Speaker 02

  Yeah, he won the triple jump in 92.

• 3:20Lewis Howes?

  92? And he was a long jumper as well?

• 3:22Speaker 02

  Long jumper. Did everything, but those were his Spain events.

• 3:25Lewis Howes?

  Amazing, man. And that must have been cool to have a father for, you know, who had that athletic mind to kind of like teach and train, I would think, right?

• 3:33Speaker 02

  Yeah, it was, it was very cool. But it was normal for me. So I didn't know what was, you know, what it was like for most people. But for me, it was like to see him, you know, running and jumping and sweating and doing all that was just like, oh, you know, dad's just doing what he does. Not realizing how, you know, cool of an experience that is for a kid to be able to watch that and learn from it.

• 3:53Lewis Howes?

  So he was at the Olympics. How old were you when he won?

• 3:56Speaker 02

  I was five. I was five when he won. So I was just at the age where I kind of knew what was going on and, you know, but, you know, at the same time, I didn't really grasp what he had did until I got a little bit older.

• 4:07Lewis Howes?

  Sure, that's cool. And would you say he is the most influential person in your life growing up? Or was someone else more influential?

• 4:13Speaker 02

  Well, I think both of my parents. My dad being one because of his ability, you know, on the track and field. And on the, you know, when he's running and preparing for what he does and his mindset and the things that I got to feed off of him and learn from him. You know, were, you know, things that were priceless. You can't find that, you know, in most, in most, you know, households. And my mom, you know, with my dad being gone all the time, she was raising, you know, me and my brothers and my sister, you know, basically. Solo for the most part because he's always training or always in, you know, different country competing and we couldn't always be together.

• 4:53Speaker 02

  So she was as strong a woman as I've ever met and always was positive, always was, you know, making sure that we had everything we needed to be successful. You know, for whatever we wanted to be in life. So that was, you know, those two people were definitely it.

• 5:06Lewis Howes?

  What would you say is the biggest lesson you learned from both your mom and your dad?

• 5:11Speaker 02

  From my mom, I think is patience.

• 5:13Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 5:14Speaker 02

  Patience is the one thing that I get from her, not from my dad. My dad doesn't have, he's more of a loose cannon than I am. But we say he has like attention deficit disorder or something where he's always just doing stuff. But no, my mom just, you know, always preached patience, you know, things will come. Just continue to work, continue to, you know, stay dedicated, things like that. And your time will come and I believe that and slowly but surely that's how my life kind of played out. Yeah. So it's interesting that that happened. And my dad is, you know, the biggest thing I learned from my dad is preparation, you know.

• 5:53Speaker 02

  I was in ice tubs and ice bags and stuff like that when I was nine, 10, 11 years old, learning how to treat your body, learning how to maintain things, learning how to prepare the night before a game. You know, most kids are just going to sleep, staying up night, staying up late, playing video games, doing whatever. I'm in an ice tub or doing this, that and the other. And then, you know, eating pasta, making sure I'm eating the right meals before the day of the game, not just the day of. So those things really kind of prepared me for the next level as I kept getting older and older.

• 6:24Lewis Howes?

  That's cool. And you got to, I mean, it's pretty cool you got to play with Greg Oden. Growing up, was that just in high school or was that even before then?

• 6:32Speaker 02

  Me and Greg, we met in sixth grade, so.

• 6:35Lewis Howes?

  Was he like a seven foot beast then?

• 6:37Speaker 02

  He was like six, six, you know, around six, six, six, seven, but still was like, you know, for that age, he was seven footer, you know, so it was, it was amazing to have that kind of a friend.

• 6:48Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 6:48Speaker 02

  But, you know, for us to have played together all through middle school, high school, and to go to college was just like a dream for me, you know, because he made the game easy. He made the game fun, you know, for having a guy like that and that talented.

• 7:02Lewis Howes?

  Do you think you'd be in the same position now if you didn't have him kind of in those four or five years of high school?

• 7:08Speaker 02

  I really doubt it, you know, I really doubt it. I think that I'm, I've learned over the time that you don't get anywhere by yourself, you know, and I've learned that the relationship that we've had, the things that we helped each other get over, the obstacles we've had to get over. I mean, we were the most competitive two people you'd meet. We'd always in, in, in practices or shootarounds or anything in open gyms, we'd always be on the opposite teams because we wanted to beat each other. So it was constantly trying to, you know, beat each other, the first one in the gym, who's going to be the first one in, who's going to be the last one, you know, that kind of thing was going on with, we're always competing. So, I mean, it was that kind of relationship helped push me, helped push him and, and, you know, I wouldn't, I, I honestly think I wouldn't be in the same position if I hadn't had that.

• 7:52Lewis Howes?

  Sure. Wow. Who was the, the best player you ever played against in, from high school till, till college?

• 8:01Speaker 02

  Till college? Best high school player? Gosh, um,

• 8:07Speaker 02

  I would have to say OJ Mayo was pretty good. In high school was pretty unbelievable, actually. But I got to play against, I never had to play against LeBron or any of those guys who were a little bit older, but he was phenomenal. I mean, he could do everything and, and he was already six, five or whatever he is. He was already developed. So he was just that much better than everybody.

• 8:28Lewis Howes?

  Man child.

• 8:28Speaker 02

  Yeah, oh yeah.

• 8:29Lewis Howes?

  What about at college for, when you were there?

• 8:31Speaker 02

  College, um, the best player, I think.

• 8:36Speaker 02

  You know, I think it was for me, it was probably, probably when we played North Carolina. It wasn't just one player. It was like Ty Lawson. It was Wayne Ellington. It was Brandon Wright, Tyler Hansbrough. They had like a team full of NBA players. So it was just that kind of like shocked you right away. Like, man, these guys are, you know, good. So that was, that was an experience.

• 9:00Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. What about the most memorable moment from high school until now in a game?

• 9:06Speaker 02

  Oh, my gosh. Most memorable moment from high school until now. Probably for me still to this day is the Xavier Ohio State game. And we were in the, the NCAA tournament and we were down maybe three points with five seconds left. And the guy goes to the line and misses two free throws and we get the rebound and go up the court and Ron Lewis hits a deep three to tie it. And we go into overtime. And from overtime, I had like 11 or 12 straight points and we win.

• 9:38Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 9:39Speaker 02

  And we had no business winning that game. But that game propelled us to, you know, eventually going to the final four, eventually going to the championship game and, and easily just one shot, you know,

• 9:52Lewis Howes?

  There would have been no chance.

• 9:53Speaker 02

  Changes everything, you know. So that, that one moment, I think is the one thing that sticks out to me more than anything.

• 9:58Lewis Howes?

  Hmm. I'm curious about, this is actually a question that Brandon sent over to me. He said, how did growing up with a gold medalist affect the way you looked at success? Did the pressure ever get to you or did it drive you forward?

• 10:13Speaker 02

  Well, the pressure never got to me. I think I was, I always expected to win. I always expected to succeed.

• 10:20Lewis Howes?

  You did or your dad?

• 10:22Speaker 02

  I did. I didn't expect, he didn't, he didn't think that for me was something that I already had just from,

• 10:27Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 10:28Speaker 02

  Just from being around, being around success, you, you'd be like, you, like when you go into something, you're like, I'm gonna win. There's no way. I don't think about the opposite. Like, you don't think about what if I don't win? What if I don't make this shot? What if I, it's just all about like, all right, we're winning tonight. How are we gonna do it? You know, and that's the mindset that I had and. And it was funny because in high school all the way to college, we literally, you know, we probably lost eight games in five or six years total, going up from ninth grade up to, you know, 12th and then to college. So, and even in college, we lost four games and one being in the championship game. So, we were just, I was trained that way, just to,

• 11:09Speaker 02

  just to think positive, think about the, how you're going to win, how, you know, what if you fail type thing.

• 11:15Lewis Howes?

  Right, right. Or the fear of like, oh, we might not win.

• 11:18Speaker 02

  Right.

• 11:19Lewis Howes?

  A lot of people are stuck because they're afraid of losing.

• 11:21Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 11:21Lewis Howes?

  Or they're afraid if they're an entrepreneur, putting out a business project that's not going to work. So they never actually even start it.

• 11:26Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 11:27Lewis Howes?

  Because they're crippled by fear.

• 11:28Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 11:29Lewis Howes?

  So how would you teach someone, or what would you share with someone watching or listening on how they could cultivate or train themselves to have this, I guess, champion's mindset, this winning mindset?

• 11:39Speaker 02

  Yeah. Well, understanding that, you know, fear isn't all bad. I think fear drives some people to, to work a little bit harder, like just the fear of the unknown or whatever. But I also think that, you know, like my coach once told me, Lionel Hollins said, "A scared man can't win." So, I always took that to heart, thinking like, if you go out there believing that you can win, believing you can be successful, no matter what you do, whether it's with business or on the court or, you know, in a classroom, if you believe you can do it, if you believe, and you failed, you know you gave everything you had, you had to it at that point, and you just didn't have enough. But if you go out there and you just cripple yourself, and you literally paralyze yourself by putting those, you know, those thoughts in there like, "Oh my God, I don't know if I'll be ready for

• 12:24Speaker 02

  this test. I don't know if I'm..." You won't, you won't be ready.

• 12:26Lewis Howes?

  No chance.

• 12:27Speaker 02

  You won't, you won't be successful. You won't win. You won't have a shot. And those are, you know, the mental mindset, you know, just to be able to constantly positive, positively reinforce yourself, just to think in those terms, just like, "I can do this." And you say, "I can and I will," as opposed to, "I don't know, maybe," you know, there's no doubt. So, you know, you just make sure that you continue to have that positive belief.

• 12:49Lewis Howes?

  When you have a loss in the NBA now, how do you bounce back from it? Or what do you think about? Do you just kind of eliminate it and then go back into this positive mindset? Or do you start to doubt yourself at all? Or how does it work?

• 13:02Speaker 02

  Well, for us now, since we've played so many games.

• 13:04Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 13:05Speaker 02

  When we lose, I try to, what I do is I give myself a night. So that night, I watched the film. I watched what we could have did better, what I could have did better, where I messed up.

• 13:15Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 13:15Speaker 02

  Uh, to improve. And after that night is over, I move on to the, the next game or the next task. You know, because if you, it's one thing to, to lose and sit there and dwell on it and, and keep yourself in that moment and constantly be thinking like, you know, oh my God, I messed up on this, this play or that play. And then it continues to happen and you're constantly thinking about it. And there's one way to, and there's another thing to, you know, fix that issue by going back and saying, all right, I'mma, I'mma, put everything I got into this for this next se- seven, eight hours and learn from my mistakes and go out here and improve on it. And if, like I said earlier, if you're good enough and you win, you win. Sometimes you, you give everything you got and you don't win and that happens.

• 13:56Speaker 02

  But as long as you know that you were prepared for it and you did your, you know, your work, your homework on it. And you go out there and you, you know, prepare, you can't be as upset when it comes to.

• 14:05Lewis Howes?

  You give your best.

• 14:06Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 14:06Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Is there a ritual or a routine that you have either the night before a game or a couple of hours before a game? That sets you up to have this mindset? That you like, either it's a mantra you say or something that you do on the corridor or in your room? Is there something that you do that sets you up?

• 14:25Speaker 02

  Yeah, um, well, I have a, I'm a very, uh, I have a long routine, I should say, but it starts.

• 14:31Lewis Howes?

  I'm interested.

• 14:32Speaker 02

  It starts from when I wake up in the morning. Um, you know, when I wake up in the morning, um, I get myself ready, just like, I might not get out of bed for 20 minutes. I'll just sit there and close my eyes and just be thinking about what I'm gonna do that day, like in that game later, later that night. Like what my shot feels like, what, you know, how my legs feel, putting myself in that moment. Um, and I actually learned that from one of the, our Navy SEAL, uh, we had a Navy SEAL guy come speak to us and. He spoke to us right before I came back from when I broke my face in one of the games. I came back, you know, six or seven days later and my eyes were still swollen and stuff and I had a mask on and all this.

• 15:12Speaker 02

  And he was just like, let me talk to you for a second. And he preached all this, you know, mental preparation, all this, you know, foresight and basically meditation, you know, being able to sit there and, and, and think about what you're doing ahead of time to prepare yourself. So that's something I do every morning to get ready for that. Cause at that point, then I know that I'm prepared, you know, for my shoot around, for my workout, for my lift, going all the way up into when, you know, layup lines and the tip ball, the national anthem, all that stuff I think about and put myself in that position. And then when I've, when I'm there in that position, I'm, I'm like, okay, I feel, feel like I've been here. I know what I'm doing. I feel good. And then I know I'm ready to go, you know?

• 15:52Speaker 02

  Some days I might lose focus. I might, you know, baby might be crying. I have all kinds of things going on. I'm like, man, I don't feel it. I don't feel like I'm in my, I didn't prepare like I should have today. And I just feel off and, and those days I don't play as well. And I already know it. I mean, right away. So it's just.

• 16:08Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 16:08Speaker 02

  And, and my wife knows, her family knows, like, don't bother me during game days. I don't want to be having to worry about tickets. I don't want to have to worry about who's.

• 16:18Lewis Howes?

  Talk to your wife or whatever.

• 16:19Speaker 02

  Yeah. You gotta, you gotta talk to somebody, talk to her. Don't come in the room when I'm there, when I'm taking a nap. Cause I'm, I'm, I'm not just sleeping. I'm like.

• 16:27Lewis Howes?

  Preparing.

• 16:27Speaker 02

  Preparing and focusing and don't want to have to be disturbed, you know, in that whole process, even if it's six, seven hours before a game.

• 16:34Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 16:35Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 16:35Lewis Howes?

  When you are, let's say you're feeling off, like in warmups or in the first quarter of a game. Is there a way that you can, I guess, readjust your mindset to get back on track? Or is it kind of like, eh, we'll just make the best of it this whole night or?

• 16:49Speaker 02

  You know, that's something that I've, I've learned over the, you know, last five or six years, just, you know. Trying your best to, to I guess refocus your attention on the, on the now, you know, now that you know that you might have messed up somewhere in your

• 17:04Lewis Howes?

  The day.

• 17:05Speaker 02

  In the day, coming to this point that you're at now, alright, so now what, you know, close your eyes, now what can you do to help going forward? What, what can you do? How can you refocus? How can you get your body back into that mode? Get your mind back in that mode? And, and that's something I try to do, you know, if I feel, I feel I'm off, I'll try to readjust it right before a game, just sit there and put my head down on the bench right before the national anthem or something, right before the starting lineups and try to visualize again, like just re, you know, emphasize certain things, reemphasize,

• 17:36Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 17:37Speaker 02

  You know, holding my arm up during shots, you know, just, just things that are technical, that I know that muscle memory will take over if I continue to, you know, just go out there and play.

• 17:46Lewis Howes?

  That's cool. What's something you've done that you're most proud of that maybe not a lot of people know about you?

• 17:53Speaker 02

  Um, what have I done?

• 17:54Lewis Howes?

  People know about your stats and awards and contracts, but what's something that maybe is a smaller thing or something behind the scenes or it's not on video?

• 18:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, um, you know, I think, I think the, one of the biggest things that I've, I've been able to do because of the opportunity I've been given in this league is helping people I love get through different obstacles such as I have a friend I helped get through college and see him graduate, you know, that he wouldn't have had the opportunity to do that and for him to be so, you know, thankful, so grateful. And same thing for my sister is gonna be actually the first one to graduate out of all of our

• 18:40Lewis Howes?

  Cause you left after your first year.

• 18:42Speaker 02

  I left early, so she's gonna beat me to it, but I'm a catcher though.

• 18:46Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 18:47Speaker 02

  You know, she's gonna graduate before me and just seeing her, you know, being able to, to walk up there and, and accept her, accept her, you know, diploma and, and just see her, you know, be so happy.

• 18:58Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 18:58Speaker 02

  Um, I mean, and degrees, I mean, the stuff that she wants to do now is I feel like I had a big part.

• 19:05Lewis Howes?

  That's cool.

• 19:05Speaker 02

  And and helping, you know, her get through that. So I mean, it's just cool to see people I love. Um, progress because of, you know, me being able to to help in any any other way.

• 19:15Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Now, you're from the Midwest, so I gotta believe you have a a pretty good heart and pretty good grounded community of friends and family. But is, you know, when everyone that you've known your whole life sees this huge contract that you get. Is there a challenge with having like this new money that's coming in and everyone knowing, hey, can I get a little money here and here? Is that a struggle for you to kind of manage that? Or have you been able to do it gracefully?

• 19:41Speaker 02

  Um, I've been thankful enough to not have too many.

• 19:48Speaker 02

  There there's been, you know, some struggles here and there over the years. I mean, not even just with the new contract, but even before when you first get to the NBA, there's always gonna be people asking just to.

• 19:57Lewis Howes?

  Always.

• 19:58Speaker 02

  One time, can you help me do this one time?

• 19:59Lewis Howes?

  A thousand bucks.

• 20:01Speaker 02

  Can you help me put a down payment on this? And I'm just like, you know, I learned early, especially from my mom, you know, you. You can help people in so many different other ways, not just giving them, just giving, you gotta, you know, hey, I'll help sign you up for. Um, this program or this class to help you, you know, get a job in that field that you want to be in, you know, something along those lines. Except, you know, especially, um, allows them to to learn how to to be independent and learn how to get it on their own as opposed to always. If they get it from me one time.

• 20:32Lewis Howes?

  Keep coming back.

• 20:32Speaker 02

  They're gonna keep coming back, so.

• 20:33Lewis Howes?

  Empowering as opposed to enabling.

• 20:35Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 20:36Lewis Howes?

  Okay, cool. I like that. Um, what's a non-negotiable for you on a daily basis? Are there any things that are non-negotiable, like every day I have to do this, I have to eat a certain way or meditate? Or I have to play golf or whatever it is, you know, I've gotta, you know, say something to my wife or, you know, is there something that's a non-negotiable?

• 20:55Speaker 02

  Um, I think one is, uh, I would never leave the house without kissing, you know, my son and my wife. You know, if they're there and if we're around each other, that's that's non-negotiable. It's definitely gonna happen. Um, you know, regardless, because that's just how I am.

• 21:11Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Yeah. Anything else? Is that pretty much?

• 21:14Speaker 02

  That's about it. Everything else, I'm, I'm pretty much, you know, I'm open, I'm an open,

• 21:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 21:18Speaker 02

  Open book, open minded.

• 21:20Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 21:21Speaker 02

  I'm like, if you ask me what I'm gonna do the rest of the day, I'll just tell you, I don't know.

• 21:24Lewis Howes?

  Hey, yeah. Got it.

• 21:26Speaker 02

  Whatever comes my way, you know.

• 21:28Lewis Howes?

  The beautiful thing about being a pro athlete is they have the schedule for you for the things you need to do already, right? Everything is scheduled. You're like,

• 21:33Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 21:33Lewis Howes?

  Just show up and practice this, lift.

• 21:36Speaker 02

  Be on time.

• 21:37Lewis Howes?

  That's it.

• 21:37Speaker 02

  Be ready to go.

• 21:38Lewis Howes?

  Take action. That's cool. Who's your biggest mentor or teacher today?

• 21:43Speaker 02

  Uh, biggest mentor, um, or teacher today? Gosh, um, I really, I've had so many over my, my career, but I think, um, one of them is David Porter. He's a, uh, a recording artist. Uh, back in the day, he did a lot of stuff with Isaac Hayes. Um, uh, he wrote the, he wrote the song, you know, "Hold on, I'm coming," you know, all that, all that good music back in the day.

• 22:10Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure.

• 22:11Speaker 02

  He's got, you know, so many records, but he's from Memphis, um, lives there now. Um, and we, we golf together, we hang out in off season and, uh, and I constantly pick his brain. I constantly learn from him because he's successful in what he does. He's one of the more successful people in his industry and, um, and to understand where his mindset is and what, you know, what can I learn from a guy like this? What can I take away? Um, his work ethic and his, his drive and what drive, you know, what drives him, what, you know, what makes him different? And, um, and those are things that, you know, we talk about a lot and it's cool to have a friend like that, that, that, uh, is, is not associated with basketball,

• 22:50Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 22:51Speaker 02

  Um, but, uh, still can give you the, the life lessons.

• 22:54Lewis Howes?

  That's cool. What's the biggest thing you've learned from him so far?

• 22:57Speaker 02

  Well, I think, uh, the biggest thing for, for him has just been probably just, you know, humility in everything you do. You know, honoring those before you. Um, it's not about you, you know, it's not about you at the end of the day. It's about those who helped you, those people who got you, helped get you where you're at, how, how you can affect other people. Um, and, and it's just the selfless mindset and, uh, and that's the most important thing.

• 23:23Lewis Howes?

  Hmm, man. You seem like such a humble, grateful guy. I mean, you've created so much, but you seem like just a down-to-earth, good dude. You know, it's the first time we've interacted. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but being from, you know, you're from Indiana, correct?

• 23:38Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 23:38Lewis Howes?

  The Midwest, you're a neighbor to Ohio, so I was like, this guy's got to... Yeah, that's good. I was like, this guy's gotta be a good dude, but I'm just like so impressed with your humility.

• 23:48Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 23:48Lewis Howes?

  And, you know, the thought that you're saying, you know, um, thinking about people who've been there before you, the people that have helped raise you, the people that have really supported you because it isn't about just us. You know, we, you didn't do this on your own. It took hundreds of people probably from every different stage of your life to set you up to be here.

• 24:04Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:05Lewis Howes?

  That's really cool, man. I really appreciate that from you. Is there anything you regret in your life?

• 24:09Speaker 02

  Gosh.

• 24:10Lewis Howes?

  You regret not going back a second year to Ohio State or winning a championship?

• 24:14Speaker 02

  That would be one of my, one of my first ones. I wish I could have won before I left. I think that, that would be one I'll always think about. I wish I could have won that championship. And before I went, moved on, um, but at the same time, I can't say I regret it fully because I think me having to go through what I went through at the time, being drafted and being on a team that literally lost 60 games, you know, our first, my rookie year.

• 24:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, because you were the fourth pick, right?

• 24:40Speaker 02

  Yeah, the fourth pick and we were, we weren't very good and the next year we weren't very good. I mean, it was a culture shock for me to have to go from always being up here.

• 24:49Lewis Howes?

  The best your whole life.

• 24:50Speaker 02

  Yeah, to all now, now you're at the bottom and now you have, you don't have many fans in the, in there cheering for you. They're, you know, they're angry, they're booing, all this stuff. So I went through a lot, you know, you know, a lot of criticism, all that stuff that, that comes with it. So, uh, I think all that really helped me, uh, you know, kind of reinvent myself, especially mentally, physically, everything. I just worked that much harder and I don't know if I would have had that. Maybe if I, you know, won a championship and been all high and mighty and I got drafted a different position and I was on a good team or whatever, things could have been different. So I'm just happy that I went through what I did.

• 25:26Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, wow. And what's the biggest adversity you've faced from childhood to now, would you say? That you've had to overcome?

• 25:32Speaker 02

  Um, biggest thing I've happened to overcome?

• 25:36Lewis Howes?

  Was it always easy for you growing up as well? Was it like?

• 25:40Speaker 02

  It was never, it was never easy. I would say that I was, I was good at basketball and I was really, really good at basketball, but the things that I was the smallest person.

• 25:50Lewis Howes?

  You're tiny.

• 25:51Speaker 02

  I was the smallest person on all of my team. So it was me having to constantly play and I never played my age group. So I was always playing. If I was 12, I was playing with 17 year olds. So I was always small, small. So it was just like for me, it was always trying to, to balance the fact that yeah, I'm getting beat up. I'm too little. I understand that, but understanding that I'm still five years younger than these guys. I'm four years younger than these guys. I'm not that bad. I'm that, you know, I'm this.

• 26:19Lewis Howes?

  You're still scoring. You're still.

• 26:21Speaker 02

  Right. So that, that was one thing for me was just understanding that I can, I can be great. It's just hard to continue to believe that, but you know, playing up, I think helped, helped develop that a little bit.

• 26:32Lewis Howes?

  That's cool. And now you're up for the All-Star team nominations right now. Is that right?

• 26:37Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 26:38Lewis Howes?

  And we find out hopefully in the next, in the next.

• 26:41Speaker 02

  Next month or so, you know, hopefully, you know, the, the voting started, I think probably like last week or two weeks ago. So fans vote, players vote.

• 26:50Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. How important is this for you?

• 26:52Speaker 02

  Um, it'd be very important, you know, that I could, that I could make it. Um, I, I think for me it's been cool to see guys on my team over the last few years who were new to being All-Stars, become All-Stars because we all developed at the same time. And to see them succeed. Um, and now it's like, all right, everybody else got one. I want to get one too now. So that'd be really cool. But, um, you know, at the end of the day, I think if we're winning, our team is doing well. It's hard to ignore, um, you know, when the good teams are winning, the players that they have on there. So I think everybody wins when it comes to that.

• 27:24Lewis Howes?

  This is your best season ever, right? In terms of like points and the stats?

• 27:27Speaker 02

  Yeah, having a great year, you know, having a great year, just trying to stay healthy, man. Stay, stay healthy, be on the court and, uh, help the team.

• 27:33Lewis Howes?

  That's it. Uh, I got a few final questions for you. Um, and this is a question I ask everyone at the end of the interviews and it's called the three truths. So many, many years from now, you've achieved everything you've ever wanted to do. You've been an All-Star, however many times you want to be. You've won the championships. You've done things after sports.

• 27:54Lewis Howes?

  And it's your last day here on earth, many years from now, right? And one of your great, great grandchildren come up and they say, for whatever reason, everything you've created, all the highlight videos is gone. We can't, we don't have anything to remember you by. So here's a piece of paper and a pen. Can you write down the three things you know to be true from everything you've experienced in life that you would pass on to us? Essentially, your three truths or three lessons that embody you.

• 28:23Speaker 02

  It's a great question. I think, um, I think one would be, I think the number one would probably be the, that the process is more important than the actual result. When it comes to anything in life, I think if you go by the process the right way, you prepare the right way, you work the right way, you do the right things. That if you are able to succeed, you will. If you have that opportunity, it's great. Sometimes it's ups and downs. Some people get lucky, but if you don't make it and you gave everything you had to it, you did what you did, but don't be fed up if the result doesn't match

• 29:05Speaker 02

  what the, you know, the work you put in because you at least gave yourself that chance. And I think that's one. Two,

• 29:16Speaker 02

  I think for me is always, like I said, it goes back to humility. Goes back to, you know, if you are, you are constantly not thinking about yourself, you're constantly, you know, unselfish, you're constantly worried about the other person. You, you're a happier person. You, you're, you know, you're able to live life full. As opposed to just always worrying about yourself, always worrying about what, what you are doing, you know? But I think that'd be one.

• 29:44Lewis Howes?

  The final one?

• 29:45Speaker 02

  Gosh. That's a good one. Final one. Final one, I think it just goes, this hits on everything is, is belief, you know? Have faith, have hope.

• 30:00Speaker 02

  No matter how dark the time is, just always have faith, always have hope and believe in yourself. Because whatever situation you're in, there's a way out, there's a way you can get there. And you have to constantly, you know, be pushing that into your mind, just believing confidence and just knowing that you can do something, even when somebody tells you you can't. And even when a door shuts, you know, open the next one, you know, go that way, you know, and just not, not, you know, be, be okay with stopping at that door and saying, oh, this is, this is what God gave me, or this is my situation, I just, I started here and this is where I'm in. Just continue to, to, to rise.

• 30:39Lewis Howes?

  Right, that's cool. I love it. Those are great truths, man. Thanks for that. Before I ask the final question, I want to take a moment, Mike, to acknowledge you for your incredible heart, man. You've got such a big heart, you're so humble, and you're so driven to be the best that you can be. And you're such an example of what's possible for people. I mean, again, being like always the smallest guy, and look what you've done now. You've created history in the NBA, and you've done some incredible things. But I think what I wish people could experience about you the most is your humility. And the fact that you are so humble, so giving, so caring about other people as well. It just is a, it's a testament to you, man, and I want to really acknowledge you for that gift.

• 31:21Lewis Howes?

  For me, that's more impressive than the stuff you do in the NBA, so.

• 31:25Speaker 02

  That's what I want to be remembered by at the end of the day, it's not what I do on the court.

• 31:28Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, you're a genuine, genuine guy, and it's just, it's really cool, man, so I acknowledge you for that. Before I ask the final question, where do you like to hang out the most online? What's your, do you like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook? Where are you most? Where should we follow you?

• 31:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, I'm on Instagram.

• 31:44Lewis Howes?

  I love IG, man.

• 31:45Speaker 02

  Yeah, Mac11 is my name, M A C 11. So it's, that's my number one probably Twitter. I get on as well. That one's MConley11.

• 31:55Lewis Howes?

  Okay, cool.

• 31:56Speaker 02

  So both of those I get on, but you know, for the most part, I just kind of surf and look at, look at different pages and look at the funny stuff, you know.

• 32:04Lewis Howes?

  Cool, awesome. We'll follow you there. And the final question is, what's your definition of greatness?

• 32:12Speaker 02

  I think my definition of greatness is, I think.

• 32:21Speaker 02

  Not only knowing, not only being the best, but knowing that you are the best at whatever you do, knowing that you have achieved a level, not just how you, not because you achieved it, but how you achieved that, that success, the, the steps you took, the, where you started from to where you're at. That gap is what defines greatness and what makes greatness, I think, out of anybody.

• 32:46Speaker 00

  Mike, you're the man, brother. Appreciate you, man.

• 32:48Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 32:52Speaker 00

  There you have it, guys. I hope you enjoyed this interview with the incredible Mike Conley. And I enjoyed connecting with him again. Got to rep the Ohio Love and dab it out, hug it out, all that stuff. Talk about Ohio and Ohio State, how much we appreciate people from Ohio, things like that. It's cool to know that he lives in Columbus still in the offseason, so had a great time connecting with him. If you enjoyed this interview, make sure to share it with your friends. LewisHowes.com/430. All the show notes, you can watch the full video interview back there. Connect with Mike on Instagram and Twitter and tag him as well and let him know what you thought, what you enjoyed the most about this. And also check out the YouTube channel.

• 33:36Speaker 00

  Guys, we hit over 100,000 subscribers in the last year, so thank you, guys, for all your support there. So many people, they find the YouTube channel and then they say, wow, where has this been my whole life? This is some great content and they love it. So make sure to check it out, subscribe, as we put out videos twice a week right now. I love you, guys. I appreciate you. And you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great.