Jazz's Mike Conley Donates $200K to Aid Those Impacted by COVID-19

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley is planning to donate $200,000 to several charities involved with COVID-19 relief.

Conley told Malika Andrews of ESPN that he will split the donation among the following organizations: Utah Food Bank, CodeCrew in Memphis, Tennessee; the Community Shelter Board and Columbus Urban League in Ohio; the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation; the New Haven Missionary Baptist Church in Arkansas.

"These communities that I chose are areas that I had a connection with," Conley said. "Obviously, Memphis. I was born in Arkansas, my family is in Arkansas. I play in Salt Lake. Indiana, I grew up there from age nine into high school. And Columbus—being a Buckeye and that is where I am living now."

Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, leading to the indefinite postponement of the season in March. He and teammate Donovan Mitchell are among several players who have publicly acknowledged positive tests. 

"Knee-jerk reaction, everybody blames the Jazz," Conley said. "We're looked at as the guys who started this whole thing and whatever. But once you step away and you're able to view things, it is nobody's fault. Fast forward and now it's an opportunity for us. We get to be on the forefront of helping change things."

Gobert donated $500,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts and to paying part-time workers who were affected by the season's postponement. Mitchell pledged to donate school meals during the pandemic.