Miles Emmanuel Bridges Sr. (born March 21, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

. A native of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, he competed for

Flint Southwestern Academy Flint Southwestern Academy (FSA, Southwestern Academy, or Flint Southwestern) is located in Flint, Michigan, United States. This school is a part of the Flint Community Schools. In 1989 Flint Academy closed and the school merged with Southwest ...

(freshman season) at the high school level before moving to

Huntington Prep School Huntington Prep or Huntington St. Joseph Prep is a basketball-focused college preparatory school located in Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington Prep was originally unrelated to the public Huntington High School located in the same city, thoug ...

for his sophomore, junior, and senior year. Bridges was selected 12th overall by the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

, but was traded to the Hornets on draft night.

Early life

Miles was born on March 21, 1998, in

, to Cynthia and Raymond Bridges. His father Raymond, a two-time basketball state champion at

Flint Northern High School Flint Northern High School was a public secondary school located in Flint, Michigan. The original building "#1" was built in 1928 and demolished in the 1980s, after being the home of the Flint Academy. It was one of the high schools in the Flint ...

, taught him the game at the age of two. According to Miles, his sister Tara Rushing was an important figure in his childhood. Bridges attended middle school at Woodland Park Academy in

Grand Blanc, Michigan Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 US Census. History The unincorporated village of Grand Blanc, or Grumlaw, was a former Indian campground firs ...

. At age 12, he practiced at a local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

with future high school teammates and coach Keith Gray.

High school career

As a freshman, Bridges played varsity basketball with

in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. There, he played alongside future George Mason signee Jaire Grayer and future Mississippi Valley commit Jovan Embry. He stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93) at 14 years of age and was a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. Bridges averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game, leading his team to the regional semifinals and a 17–6 record. He was soon offered an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United Stat ...

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

. In July 2013, Bridges transferred to

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

. He was encouraged to make the decision by former Flint Powers Catholic all-state

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

JaVontae Hawkins, who had transferred to Huntington Prep as well. Hawkins said, "Just getting away from the violence and distractions in Flint will help him grow and mature because he will be focused and away from his family." As a sophomore, he averaged 9.8

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

, 9.9

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, 2.7 steals, and 3.3 assists per game, while leading the Irish to a 29–5 overall record. 20160330 MCDAAG Miles Bridges dunk (1)

In his junior year, Bridges and Huntington Prep played in the 2015

Dick's Sporting Goods Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized as "DICK'S Sporting Goods") is an American sporting goods retail company, based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The company was established by Richard "Dick" Stack in 1948, and has approximately 854 stores an ...

High School Nationals Tournament at

Christ the King Regional High School Christ the King Regional High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic high school for grades 9-12 located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, United States and established in 1962. It is located within the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

in Middle Village, Queens, New York. On April 2, 2015, Huntington Prep defeated

Jaylen Brown Jaylen Marselles Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being n ...

and #5 ranked

Wheeler Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a ...

73–70 in the quarterfinals. On April 3, Bridges had 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a losing effort as Huntington Prep lost to #1 ranked Oak Hill Academy 61–51 in the semi-finals. On the season, Bridges averaged 15.7

, 10.6

, 3.5 assist per game, 2.8 blocks, and 2.3 steals per game with a 31–3 record the most in the school's history, where he played alongside senior and future NBA player Thomas Bryant. In the 2015 summer, Bridges participated in the NBPA Top 100 Camp at the

John Paul Jones Arena John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since November 2006, it serves as the home to the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as for co ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. As a senior, Bridges averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.0 steals while leading Huntington Prep to a 25–11 record. In January 2016, Bridges was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger ...

and played in the

2016 McDonald's All-American Game The 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star game, All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters features the best and ...

, on March 30, 2016 at the

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...

in Chicago, IL, where he scored eight points, three rebounds, and two steals in a 114–107 loss to the West team. He also competed in the

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

All-Star game.

College career

Bridges was a five-star recruit and was ranked as the 10th-best player of his class by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, while

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

ranked him as the No.8 overall recruit in the 2016 high school class. He declined offers from schools such as

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He announced that he would play for

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

on October 3, 2015. Head coach

Tom Izzo Tom Izzo (, ); born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has led the Spart ...

labeled him a "blue-collar superstar" and expected him to easily fit into the team. In his debut vs.

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

on November 12, 2016, Bridges scored 21 points and recorded seven rebounds. On November 24, he scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help defeat St. John's. On December 1, Tom Izzo announced that Miles Bridges would miss "as least a couple of weeks" due an injured ankle. Bridges returned to action on January 4, 2017 after missing seven games. He scored a career-high 33 points in a January 24 loss to

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. Bridges was named Big Ten Freshman of the week five times. On February 2, 2017, Bridges was named as one of the ten finalists on the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year watchlist. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the year and earned second team all-Big Ten honors.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2016-17/misc_non_event/2016-17_All_Big_Ten_Honors.pdf He was named to the

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

Freshmen All-American Team and

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...

All-District V Team. He was also named unanimous AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year and AP All-Big Ten Second Team. He finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game in 32 minutes per game. On April 13, Bridges announced his intent to return to Michigan State for his sophomore season, a move prompting many experts to peg the Spartans as the 2018 National Championship favorites, especially with incoming freshman

Jaren Jackson Jr. Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. (born September 15, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. He was select ...

Many also believed Bridges would be the national player of the year as well as being a top 5 pick in the

. Following third-seeded Michigan State's upset loss in the second round of the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Bridges announced his intention to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2018 NBA draft.

Freshman season awards

Preseason awards and watchlists

* Sporting News #2 player in Big Ten * Sporting News Preseason Big Ten First Team * Sporting News Preseason All American 2nd Team * MLive Preseason Big Ten 2nd Team * Karl Malone Award Watch List Preseason * Athalon Sports 15 Impact Freshmen in College Basketball for 2016–17 * Naismith Preseason Top 50 * Wendy’s Wooden Award Preseason List * Bleacher Report Most Under Pressure NCAA Player * College Sports Madness 2016–2017 Preseason Big Ten All-Conference 4th Team * College Sports Madness 2016–2017 Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year

Regular season awards

* Big Ten Freshman of the Week * CBS Sports Big Ten Freshman of the Week * CBS Sports Big Ten Freshman of the Week * Battle For Atlantis All-Tournament Team * Big Ten Freshman of the Week * Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week * Big Ten Freshman of the Week * CBS Top 10 Freshmen in the Nation * Final 10 for Malone Award * Bleacher Report- 11th best Freshman in the Nation * Headline of the 5th Best Freshmen Class * Big Ten Freshman of the Week

End of the year awards

* CBS Big Ten Freshman of the Year * Big Ten Coaches Freshman of the Year * All-Big Ten Second Team Media * All-Big Ten Second Team Coaches * Big Ten Freshman of the Year Media * Sporting News Freshman All-American First Team * Big Ten Network All-Big Ten Second Team * Big Ten Network Big Ten Freshman of the Year * Fox Sports National Freshman of the Year Finalist (5th place) * USBWA All-District Team * Karl Malone Award Finalist * AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year * AP All-Big Ten Second Team * 2017–2018 First Team All-Big Ten Coaches selection

Team awards

* Most Valuable Player Award (Team Vote) * Most Valuable Player Award (Media Vote) * Jumping Johnny Green Chairman of the Boards Award

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2018–2022)

On June 21, 2018, Bridges was selected with the twelfth overall pick by the

in the

. He was subsequently traded to the

in exchange for the pick before him,

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( ; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played one year of col ...

. On July 2, Bridges officially signed a four-year contract with the Hornets worth $16.3 million. Bridges participated in the 2019

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

. Bridges won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP award for Team USA in Chicago on February 14, 2020, and Team USA won against Team World 151–131. On November 20, 2021, Bridges scored a career-high 35 points, along with 10 rebounds, in a 115–105 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. On April 13, 2022, during the Hornets' 103–132 play-in tournament loss to the

, Bridges was ejected and threw his mouthpiece at a 16-year-old Hawks fan. The next day, he was fined $50,000 by the NBA for the incident. In the 2022–23 offseason, the Hornets extended him a qualifying offer.

Personal life

Miles is married to Mychelle Johnson, and they have two children.

Domestic violence charges

On June 29, 2022, Bridges was arrested in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for felony domestic violence and was released on $130,000 bond. He allegedly assaulted Mychelle Johnson in front of their two children. According to Johnson's hospital report which she posted to

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, she was an "adult victim of abuse by male partner" which included assault by

strangulation Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...

, brain concussion, closed fracture of

nasal bone The nasal bones are two small oblong bones, varying in size and form in different individuals; they are placed side by side at the middle and upper part of the face and by their junction, form the bridge of the upper one third of the nose. Eac ...

contusion A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur close ...

of rib, multiple bruises, and a neck muscle strain. On July 19, Bridges was charged with one felony count of injuring a child's parent and two felony counts of child abuse. The following day, he pled not guilty to all three charges at his

arraignment Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisd ...

. On November 3, he pled no contest to the felony domestic charge and was sentenced to three years of probation. The other two charges were dismissed.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 80 , , 25 , , 21.2 , , .464 , , .325 , , .753 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .6 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 65 , , 64 , , 30.7 , , .424 , , .330 , , .809 , , 5.6 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .7 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 66 , , 19 , , 29.3 , , .503 , , .400 , , .867 , , 6.0 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .8 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 35.5 , , .491 , , .331 , , .802 , , 7.0 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .8 , , 20.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 291 , , 188 , , 29.1 , , .473 , , .346 , , .809 , , 5.6 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , 13.4

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, , , 27 , , 32.0 , , .486 , , .389 , , .685 , , 8.3 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 31.4 , , .457 , , .364 , , .853 , , 7.0 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .8 , , 17.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 62 , , 60 , , 31.6 , , .470 , , .375 , , .776 , , 7.6 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 17.0

References

External links

*
Michigan State Spartans bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Miles 1998 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Flint, Michigan Charlotte Hornets players Los Angeles Clippers draft picks McDonald's High School All-Americans Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Small forwards 21st-century African-American sportspeople