Former Ohio State and current Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley, Jr., has left the NBA bubble, but for a very, very good reason.
According to an announcement from the Jazz, Conley left the team and the NBA bubble in Orlando to return to Columbus, Ohio for the birth of his third son. It comes on the doorstep of the Jazz’s first-round playoff game between the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
“My first reaction is my best wishes to Mike Conley and his family. I hope everything goes well,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “… If Mike Conley is not available for Game 1, whatever it is, I am sure other guys will step up. We were able to go into Utah this year and win with seven guys. I don’t buy into that too much. If Mike Conley is not available, that means more Donovan Mitchell, who is an all-NBA-caliber player.”
Mike Conley update:
Mike departed Orlando this morning and returned to Columbus, Ohio for the birth of his son.
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 16, 2020
According to sources cited by ESPN, Conley is supposed to rejoin the team in the very near future back in Orlando. If he were to do that, he would have to follow quarantine guidelines. If he is gone less than seven days and tests negative each day, he must quarantine for four days before rejoining the team.
Either way, congratulations are in order for the former Buckeye star. Here’s to a wonderful few days at home loving on his new child, and a safe return to the league’s bubble whenever that is scheduled to occur.