Mikal Bridges (born August 30, 1996) 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 for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(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

Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East ( NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association ( Football Championship ...

, winning national championships in 2016 and 2018. Bridges was selected with the tenth overall pick by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

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 ...

before being traded to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

on draft night, where he was a part of the team that reached the 2021 NBA Finals. Nicknamed “The Warden”, Bridges holds the active record for the most consecutive games played, having not missed a game in his NBA career since being drafted.

Early life

Bridges is the son of Jack Bridges and Tyneeha Rivers, who gave birth to him at the age of 19 and raised him as a single mother. He grew up in Overbrook, Philadelphia, and nearby neighborhoods. He moved to

Malvern, Pennsylvania Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is west of Philadelphia. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census. The borough is bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, Sugartown Road on the west, Willistown Township on the east, an ...

in middle school. His second cousin is former La Salle player

Tyrone Garland Tyrone W. Garland (born August 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he joined the Mississauga Power midway in the 2014–15 NBL Canada season, 2014–15 season, a few months after comple ...

High school career

Bridges attended Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he was coached by Jim Nolan. He began to get serious about basketball in his sophomore year when he had a growth spurt to reach 6–6. As a junior, he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game. During his senior season, he was named First Team All-Class AAAA. He posted averages of 18.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game as a senior. Bridges was named to the

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

's All-Southeastern Pa., boys basketball first team as a senior. In his career, he had 1,340 points and 511 rebounds. Coming out of high school, he was ranked by

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the He ...

as the 82nd best player nationally, and committed to Villanova in June 2013.

College career

Freshman year

Bridges redshirted his freshman season and assisted in scouting players. In his first year with Villanova, he appeared in all 40 games for the Wildcats. He said he had to do a lot of weightlifting and change his three-point shot. He had a key role coming off the bench in the 2016 NCAA tournament, scoring 11 points in a Final Four rout of the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early part ...

. Bridges won the NCAA championship along with his teammates for the school for the first time since 1985. He averaged 6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game as a freshman. "He came in as a high school scoring phenom like they all do, so I'm really proud of how he has opened up his game defensively," coach Jay Wright said.

Sophomore year

20170213 Villanova-Depaul Mikal Bridges on the move

Coming into the 2016–17 season, Bridges was slated to be the team's sixth man but started every game after Phil Booth went down with a knee injury in November. As a sophomore, Joe Juliano of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'' wrote, "If there is such a thing as a five-tool player in college basketball, Mikal Bridges is the model." He became well-regarded as a lanky forward who could score and play excellent defense and often guarded the opposing team's best player. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 13 points to help Villanova to a first round victory over Mount St. Mary's. Bridges averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while making 54 percent of his field goal attempts and 39 percent of three point tries. He improved his scoring as the season progressed, averaging 12.3 points in his last 12 games of the regular season. Along with Creighton's

Khyri Thomas Khyri Jaquan Thomas (born May 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for CB San Pablo Burgos of the Liga Española de Baloncesto (LEB Oro). He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays. He was drafted 38th overall by th ...

and teammate

Josh Hart Josh Hart (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz with the 30th ...

, Bridges was one of three Big East defensive player of the year honorees, being third in the conference in steals with 1.9 per game.

Junior year

He was named to the 2017–18 preseason All-Big East second team. Bridges hit all six 3-point tries in a 24-point performance against Lafayette on November 17. On December 4, he scored a career-high 28 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks in an 88–72 victory over Gonzaga. Bridges scored 23 points in an overtime win against Seton Hall on March 2, 2018. At the conclusion of the regular season, he joined

Jalen Brunson Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National ...

on the All-Big East first team. He was named MVP of the Big East tournament after scoring 28 points in the title game, a 76–66 overtime win over

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. As a junior Bridges averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 51 percent shooting, including 43.5 percent on 3-pointers. He received the

Julius Erving Award The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's College athletics, collegiate small forward. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award whic ...

for best small forward. On April 10, 2018, Bridges announced his intention to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declare for 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 ...

, where he was the 10th selection in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was later traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the 16th pick,

Zhaire Smith Zhaire Jahi-ihme Smith (born June 4, 1999) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Texas Tech. High school career Smith attended Lakeview Centennial High School, where he was coached by J. T. Locklear. He a ...

, and an unprotected 2021 first round pick.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2018–2023)

Bridges was selected with the tenth overall pick by his hometown team the

in the

and was subsequently traded to the

in exchange for the draft rights to

and a 2021 first-round pick. Bridges joined the Suns for the

2018 NBA Summer League The 2018 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Sacramento Kings's California Classic Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. The Sacra ...

. He signed a 4-year, $17.6 million rookie-scale contract with the Suns on July 6, 2018. On October 6, it was announced that Bridges would miss the remainder of the preseason with an elbow injury. Bridges played in the Suns' regular season opener to make his professional debut in a blowout 121–100 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

on October 17, 2018. Three days later, Bridges recorded his first points, rebounds, and assists of his professional career with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in a blowout loss against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On November 14, he made his first career start in place of Trevor Ariza, scoring eight points in 25 minutes in a 116–96 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. On February 2, 2019, Bridges recorded a season-high 20 points in a 118–112 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On February 25, Bridges put up a season-high 8 assists to help the Suns break a franchise-record 17-game losing streak to win 124–121 over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. From January 22 until March 6, Bridges would get at least one steal in each game played throughout that time. He became the first rookie since

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...

to obtain a steal per game throughout a 20-game stretch. It was also the second-longest stretch for a rookie in franchise history behind

Ron Lee Ronald Henry Lee (born November 2, 1952) is an American former basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Oregon, and epitomized the "Kamikaze Kids" un ...

. At the end of the season, Bridges became the only Suns player to play in all 82 games for the regular season. On November 19, 2019, Bridges matched his career-high of 20 points in a 120–116 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On December 14, he grabbed a then career-high 10 rebounds in his first start of the

2019–20 NBA season The 2019–20 NBA season was the 74th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 22, 2019, and originally was supposed to end on April 15, 2020. However, the season was suspended on March 11 as a resul ...

in a 121–119 overtime loss to the

in Mexico City. Bridges then matched his then career-high 10 rebounds two days later in a 111–110 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On January 18, Bridges scored a season-high 26 points on 6–8 three-point shooting in a 123–119 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. On March 8, Bridges got his first double-double with 21 points while matching his then career-high of 10 rebounds in a 140–131 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. In the 2020 NBA Bubble, Bridges started in all eight games at small forward for the Suns. On January 9, 2021, Bridges set a new career-high of 34 points in a 125–117 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

. He also helped the Suns start their season with a 7–3 record, their best 10-game start to a season since 2009. On May 13, Bridges posted a double-double with 21 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a 118–117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. During Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals, Bridges scored 27 points in a 118–108 win to give the Suns a 2–0 series lead. However, the Suns went on to lose the Finals in 6 games to the Milwaukee Bucks. On October 17, 2021, Bridges and the Suns agreed to a 4-year, $90 million rookie contract extension. Bridges and the Suns finished the regular season with the league's best overall record at 64–18. Bridges received universal praise from players, coaches, fans, and reporters for his defense, finishing second in

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding Defense (sports), defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for D ...

voting and being selected to his first All-Defensive First Team. On April 26, 2022, Bridges scored a playoff career-high 31 points, including five rebounds and four blocks in a 112–97 Game 5 win against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns jumped to a 2–0 lead in the series against the

before losing in seven games. On November 9, 2022, Bridges scored a season-high 31 points along with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in a 129–117 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. On November 16, He recorded a near triple-double with 23 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 9 assists in a 130–119 win over the reigning champions

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

Brooklyn Nets (2023–present)

On February 9, 2023, the Suns traded Bridges to the

, along with

Cameron Johnson Cameron Jordan Johnson (born March 3, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the North Carolina Tar H ...

, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 first-round pick swap in exchange for

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball f ...

and T.J. Warren. Upon joining the Nets, he was given the nickname, Brooklyn Bridges, a pun on the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East Rive ...

. On February 11, Bridges made his Nets debut, putting up 23 points and six rebounds in a 101–98 loss to the

. As of February 14, Bridges still holds the active record for the most consecutive games played with 367, making him the current

iron man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

. On February 15, Bridges scored a career-high 45 points in a 116–105 win over the

. On March 26, Bridges scored 44 points in a 119–106 loss against the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 56 , , 29.5 , , .430 , , .335 , , .805 , , 3.2 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 73 , , 32 , , 28.0 , , .510 , , .361 , , .844 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 72* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 72* , , 32.6 , , .543 , , .425 , , .840 , , 4.3 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 34.8 , , .534 , , .369 , , .834 , , 4.2 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 56 , , 56 , , 36.4 , , .463 , , .387 , , .897 , , 4.3 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 17.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 365 , , 298 , , 32.1 , , .499 , , .376 , , .848 , , 4.0 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 12.2

Playoffs

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

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 22 , , 22 , , 32.1 , , .484 , , .368 , , .893 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 13 , , 13 , , 38.5 , , .478 , , .394 , , .933 , , 4.7 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 13.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 35 , , 34.5 , , .482 , , .375 , , .914 , , 4.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 11.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 40 , , 0 , , 20.3 , , .521 , , .299 , , .787 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 36 , , 33 , , 29.8 , , .549 , , .393 , , .911 , , 4.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 40 , , 40 , , 32.1 , , .514 , , .435 , , .851 , , 5.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , 17.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 116 , , 73 , , 27.3 , , .525 , , .400 , , .845 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , 11.3

Off the court

Bridges is a fan of the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. On April 29, 2022, Bridges signed a multi-year contract with

G Fuel G Fuel (stylized in all uppercase as G FUEL), is a brand of caffeinated drink mix sold by Gamma Labs, based in West Babylon, New York. It is marketed as a supplement for gaming that allegedly boosts focus and quickens reaction time. G Fuel was ...

. He said, "I'm ecstatic to join the G FUEL team and I'm looking forward to being an ambassador for years to come, I love G FUEL products so I'm happy to align with the brand."

References

External links

DraftExpress profileVillanova Wildcats bioA Phoenix Sun rises: Mikal Bridges determined to be a complete player
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Mikal 1996 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Brooklyn Nets players People from Malvern, Pennsylvania Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Small forwards Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players