Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
As the suspension of the NBA’s regular season eclipses 10 weeks, veteran Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley has decided to give back to his community in the form of a $200,000 donation. It will help people who experience homelessness and food insecurity, as well as students forced to continue school online.
Community has always been important to me and during the COVID-19 crisis, I’m reminded of the support and sacrifices of others. I will be donating to six organizations in five cities that have been impacted by the effects of this pandemic. #SeeYouSoonpic.twitter.com/BwUldfXqB5
Conley told ESPN earlier this week that he wanted to donate to regions of the country that have had a special significance in his life. He was born in Arkansas, went to grade school in Indiana, played at Ohio State in college and spent the first 12 years of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies. He was traded to the Jazz last summer.
Conley has also created an online auction as part of the All-In Challenge to help food insecurity in the face of the coronavirus. The All-In Challenge is a fundraising tool where celebrities can put experiences or memorabilia up for auction. When fans donate to the fund, they are entered to win.
A three-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award and the 2019 NBA Teammate of the Year, Conley said at his introductory press conference with the Jazz that he is rooted in his faith in Christ, regardless of his circumstances.
“Faith is big in my family and for me,” Conley said, via the Deseret News. “I was never able to get distracted with all the things that were going on last season strictly because of that foundation and being able to believe regardless and have faith regardless of what’s in front of me.”
Believe in yourself, you have purpose, God makes no mistakes.
Conley’s uncle is now a pastor in Arkansas, and his parents brought him to church as a kid growing up in the state. Both his mother, Regina, and his father, Mike Sr., are sure that he will cling to his faith regardless of what his future holds, in the NBA and beyond.
“That’s what faith is, not knowing but having faith, and he truly believes that his path is already made,” Mike Sr. told the Deseret News, “and he put it in God’s hands, and this is where it ended up.”
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Every morning before sunrise, Tobe Awaka’s day began long before most high school students were awake. Growing up in Hyde Park, New York, Awaka chose a high school nearly two-and-a-half hours away by train — Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx — because he knew it would best prepare him for his future plans.
That meant waking up at 3:30 or 4 a.m. to catch the train, go to class, attend basketball practice, then make the long trip home — only to do it all again the next day.
“It was tough. It definitely had its ups and downs, but it helped mold [me] into the person and player I am today,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up?” podcast.
That early discipline, both in academics and athletics, set the tone for his future basketball journey. He didn’t start playing “high-level” basketball until ninth grade, and even then, his approach looked different from many future stars. Instead of structured drills in a gym, he was in his driveway, pretending an invisible defender was in front of him.
“I’d just do a bunch of different combo moves… kind of imagine myself going past them,” he said on the podcast. “I think that kind of helped build my creativity and my love for the game.”
Fast forward to the 2025-26 college basketball season, and that inner creativity and work ethic has helped Awaka become one of the most impactful pieces on the No. 1-ranked and 14-0 Arizona Wildcats. The senior forward is posting a double-double season, averaging 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 59.8% from the floor — numbers that place him among the team’s and Big 12’s most consistent performers this year. And it’s all coming from a reserve role; despite starting 36 of 37 games last season, Awaka has come off the bench for every game this season.
His 18 points against Utah on Jan. 3 matched a career high, and he chipped in 12 rebounds to go with it. But his growth hasn’t only come through box scores.
After transferring from Tennessee following the 2023-24 season — a choice he described as one of the toughest decisions of his life — Awaka leaned deeply on his faith to find clarity. What began as prayer and thoughtful reflection turned into a sense of spiritual peace that guided his decision.
“Honestly, once I got the green light spiritually from God that I was making the right choice and moving in the right direction, it was tough going through on that but I think ultimately it’s been to my benefit and for my good,” he said on the podcast. “Sometimes, as a believer, the unknown can be a little scary. The whole fact of having faith becomes real and true and something you have to put into practice, and that was definitely a moment where I had to.”
Now at Arizona, faith has become something Awaka lives out in community. What started as a personal pursuit of spiritual growth has grown into a space for teammates — and others across campus — to do the same. In one of his early days in Tucson, he visited a local barbershop for a haircut. He noticed his barber had a sermon from pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell playing on a nearby TV, which sparked an organic conversation about faith.
Their friendship grew from there, and the two decided to meet regularly for a Bible study. Other players soon caught wind of what they were doing and asked if they could join. The group quickly grew to six members and has continued expanding as others from across campus have been invited. Some meetings now include 15 to 20 people, Awaka said.
“It’s been really cool just to see how God has moved,” he said on the podcast. “Honestly, it just kind of started with two guys trying to dive deeper into their faith and learn more about it. It’s kind of grown into something cool and special. We’re still trying to grow it, still trying to get more guys on the team interested and bring them along, but it’s been a great experience.”
That boldness in faith wasn’t always instinctive for Awaka. It came through searching, wrestling and earnest exploration of truth. Around his freshman year of college, he found himself digging into every major religion — Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and more — before landing where he felt alive with conviction.
“I went pretty deep and I landed on Christianity,” he said on the podcast. “I kind of read the Bible like a mad man. I read it front to back, then read through the New Testament again. I felt it deep in my soul that that was the truth and that’s where God wanted me to move. Even before that, it was just a lot of research, a lot of looking things up.”
Away from the court and classroom, Awaka is a big reader, using books to quiet his mind amidst the chaos of basketball and business school coursework. One book that left an impression was “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, which he said reshaped his mental approach as an athlete. Ecclesiastes is also one of his favorite books in the Bible.
His faith went from something he followed because his parents did it to something he now claims as his. So when the decision to transfer schools came, he said it felt like “peace amongst chaos” when he got that “green light” from the Lord.
“There’s a lot of things swirling, a lot of people in your ear, but internally you have this gravity telling you that it’s going to be OK,” he said. He heard the Lord telling him to follow in His steps and He would lead him in the right direction.
“Adversity is inevitable. We see that all throughout the Scriptures,” he said on the podcast. “But at the same time, Christ isn’t going to take that away, necessarily, but He’s going to help us walk through that. I definitely believe and feel that’s what He was doing with me through that time.”
Awaka and Arizona next face Big 12-foe Kansas State at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Auburn's Johni Broome (4), Ja'Heim Hudson (8) and other team personnel celebrate with a prayer after a win, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
With 2025 coming to a close, Sports Spectrum is highlighting our most-viewed stories of the year.
The Auburn Tigers were riding high as the nation’s No. 1 team in February, and had just beaten arch-rival Alabama — No. 2 in the nation — on the road, moving Auburn to 23-2 on the season. They had a national player of the year candidate in Johni Broome and a fiery, charismatic head coach in Bruce Pearl.
But the Tigers also exhibited a culture of faith that intrigued many.
“Everybody on this team is revolved around God and having a relationship with God,” guard Miles Kelly told 247 Sports at the time. “So that’s a big part of why everybody is doing [Auburn’s signature ‘Call God’ celebration].”
Center Dylan Cardwell expanded on Kelly’s sentiment: “It’s unique to see guys use their platform to glorify God, especially just a small gesture like that,” he said. “… I’m just grateful for the opportunity to put that message forward rather than harp on our own successes.”
Sports Spectrum wrote about this team culture on Feb. 18 and the story received heavy web traffic right away. Readers were eager to learn about the No. 1 team in the country and its many players, coaches and others who publicly professed their faith in Christ.
Bonded by a shared devotion to God, Auburn earned a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournment and advanced all the way to the Final Four, joining the three other No. 1 seeds in San Antonio. The Tigers fell just short, however, as they lost to the eventual national champions, the Florida Gators, in the semifinals.
Still, Auburn’s run to the biggest stage in college basketball — as the players continued to praise God publicly — generated steady attention throughout March Madness and into the first weekend of April. Readers steadily found our story on the team, helping it to become our No. 3 most-viewed story in 2025:
