Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges
Born	August 30, 1996 (age 30)
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Known for	Professional basketball career in the NBA

Mikal Bridges (born August 30, 1996) is a professional basketball athlete currently playing for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He competed at the collegiate level with the Villanova Wildcats, securing national titles in both 2016 and 2018.

Known by the moniker “the Warden”, Bridges was chosen tenth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2018 NBA draft, but was immediately traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night. He played a significant role in leading the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals. In February 2023, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and later moved to the Knicks in July 2024. As of June 2025, Bridges holds the current NBA record for most consecutive games played, having appeared in every game since his league debut.

Early life

Bridges is the son of Jack Bridges and Tyneeha Rivers, who raised him as a single mother beginning at age 19. His upbringing took place initially in Overbrook, Philadelphia, before relocating to Malvern, Pennsylvania during his middle school years. Notably, his second cousin is former La Salle athlete Tyrone Garland.

High school career

He attended Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where Jim Nolan served as his coach. Bridges became committed to basketball during his sophomore year following a growth spurt that brought him to 6 feet 6 inches. As a junior, he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per contest. During his senior season, he earned First Team All-Class AAAA accolades while averaging 18.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals each game. He also secured a spot on the Philadelphia Inquirer's All-Southeastern Pennsylvania boys basketball first team. Over his entire high school tenure, Bridges accumulated 1,340 points and grabbed 511 rebounds. Ranked as the nation’s 82nd best player by ESPNU, he committed to Villanova in June 2013.

Freshman year

Bridges redshirted during his initial collegiate season, contributing primarily by scouting opponents. In his first active year with the Villanova Wildcats, he participated in all 40 games. That season, he concentrated on building strength and refining his three-point shooting. Bridges played an important bench role during the 2016 NCAA tournament, including scoring 11 points in Villanova’s Final Four victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. This culminated in Villanova capturing its first NCAA championship since 1985. His averages were 6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Head coach Jay Wright commended Bridges for his defensive improvements.

Sophomore year

At the start of the 2016–17 campaign, Bridges was anticipated to serve as sixth man but became a starter following a knee injury to Phil Booth. Joe Juliano of The Philadelphia Inquirer characterized him as a "five-tool player" within college basketball circles. Bridges earned acclaim as a multi-faceted forward who contributed significantly on both offense and defense, often tasked with guarding top opposing players. During the NCAA Tournament, he scored 13 points aiding Villanova’s win over Mount St. Mary's. He posted averages of 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 54% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. His scoring output increased toward season’s end, averaging 12.3 points across the final dozen regular-season contests. Alongside Creighton’s Khyri Thomas and teammate Josh Hart, Bridges ranked third in the Big East with an average of 1.9 steals per game and was named one of three honorees for Big East defensive player of the year recognition.

Junior year

Bridges earned a spot on the 2017–18 preseason All-Big East second team. Notably, he converted all six of his three-point attempts while scoring 24 points in a November 17 game against Lafayette. On December 4, he achieved a personal best by putting up 28 points, along with six rebounds and two blocks, leading his team to an 88–72 victory over Gonzaga. He contributed 23 points in an overtime triumph over Seton Hall on March 2, 2018. By the conclusion of the season, Bridges was honored with a place on the All-Big East first team alongside Jalen Brunson and was named the Big East tournament MVP after scoring 28 points in the championship game, which ended in a 76–66 overtime win against Providence.

During his junior season, Bridges averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the field, including an impressive 43.5% from beyond the arc. He was awarded the Julius Erving Award, recognizing him as the nation's top small forward. On April 10, 2018, Bridges declared for the NBA draft, opting to forgo his final year of college eligibility. Selected tenth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, he was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the sixteenth pick, Zhaire Smith, and an unprotected first-round pick in 2021.

Rookie and starting role (2018–2020)

Bridges was picked tenth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA Draft but was traded to the Phoenix Suns for rights to Zhaire Smith and a future first-round pick in 2021. He participated in the 2018 NBA Summer League with Phoenix and signed a four-year rookie deal worth $17.6 million on July 6, 2018. An elbow injury caused him to miss the remainder of preseason activities.

He made his NBA debut during Phoenix’s season opener—a 121–100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on October 17, 2018. Bridges recorded his first points, rebounds, and assists three days later facing the Denver Nuggets. His first career start came on November 14 when he scored eight points in a win against the San Antonio Spurs. On February 2, 2019, he tallied a season-high of 20 points and later posted eight assists—the best single-game assist total of his rookie campaign—on February 25, aiding in ending a franchise-record 17-game losing streak with a victory over the Miami Heat. Between January 22 and March 6, Bridges notched at least one steal per game across a span exceeding twenty games; this marked the longest rookie streak for steals since Chris Paul and was second only in Suns history. He stood out as the sole Suns player to compete in all 82 regular-season contests.

On November 19, 2019, Bridges equaled his career-best scoring mark with 20 points during a loss to the Sacramento Kings. He set a new personal record with ten rebounds on December 14 against San Antonio and matched that total two days later versus the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 18, 2020, Bridges achieved a season-high of 26 points while demonstrating efficient three-point shooting in a win over the Boston Celtics. He posted his first double-double on March 8 by scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout the 2020 NBA Bubble, Bridges started all eight games at small forward for Phoenix.

Playoff success and trade (2021–2023)

On January 9, 2021, Bridges set a new career scoring high with 34 points during a 125–117 victory over the Indiana Pacers, contributing to Phoenix’s best start (7–3) over ten games since 2009. On May 13, he recorded a double-double with 21 points and a personal best of eleven rebounds in a narrow one-point win against the Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals, Bridges scored 27 points helping secure a 118–108 victory that gave Phoenix a commanding series lead; however, they eventually fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

On October 17, 2021, Bridges inked a four-year contract extension worth $90 million under the Derrick Rose Rule with Phoenix. The Suns ended that regular season with an NBA-best record of 64–18. Bridges received significant acclaim for his defensive prowess—finishing second in voting for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and earning his inaugural selection to the All-Defensive First Team. On April 26, 2022, he posted a playoff career-high of 31 points along with five rebounds and four blocks during Game 5 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Although Phoenix took an early lead of two games to none over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals, they ultimately lost that series in seven games.

On November 9, 2022, Bridges delivered a season-best performance with 31 points complemented by nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals during a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (129–117). One week later, he nearly recorded a triple-double by posting totals of 23 points, nine rebounds, and setting a career-high nine assists in a victory against defending champions Golden State Warriors (130–119).

Brooklyn Nets (2023–2024)

On February 9, 2023, the Suns sent Mikal Bridges to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that also included Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round draft selections, and a 2028 first-round pick swap, receiving Kevin Durant and T. J. Warren in return. After joining Brooklyn, Bridges quickly gained the nickname Brooklyn Bridges, a clever nod to the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. He made his debut on February 11, tallying 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals during a narrow defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers. Bridges then posted a personal best of 45 points on February 15 in a victory over the Miami Heat, followed by another high-scoring effort of 44 points against the Orlando Magic on March 26.

Bridges secured his inaugural NBA Player of the Week award on April 3 after leading the Nets to a flawless 3–0 record that week, averaging 33 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Included in this stretch was a standout 42-point performance against Atlanta. On April 9, he appeared in his 83rd game of the season, becoming the first player since Josh Smith (2014–15) to exceed the standard 82-game mark in one campaign. By the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Bridges established himself as the current NBA iron man with an active streak of 494 consecutive games played.

On December 2, 2023, Bridges delivered a dominant showing with 42 points—26 of which came in the opening quarter—leading Brooklyn to a decisive win over Orlando. Just four days later, he contributed 30 points and nailed a game-winning jumper to secure a tight victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

New York Knicks (2024–present)

On July 6, 2024, Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks alongside Keita Bates-Diop in exchange for Bojan Bogdanović, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, five future first-round draft picks, a pick swap, and a second-round selection. This move reunited him with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, collectively referred to as the "Villanova Knicks" or "Nova Knicks."

Bridges made his Knicks debut on October 22, 2024, scoring 16 points during a 132–109 loss to the Boston Celtics. On December 25, he erupted for 41 points in New York’s narrow 117–114 Christmas Day triumph over the San Antonio Spurs. On March 12, 2025, Bridges scored 33 points and sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to clinch a thrilling 114–113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. He started all 82 games throughout the 2024–25 NBA season, averaging averages of 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

During the conference semifinals, Bridges delivered crucial contributions including a game-winning steal in overtime of Game 1 against defending champions Boston and scored all of his team-high 14 points in Game 2’s fourth quarter—highlighted by a decisive block that sealed the win. The Knicks became the first franchise to erase deficits of at least twenty points in back-to-back playoff contests. New York ousted Boston in six games but ultimately fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

On August 1, 2025, Bridges agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $150 million that will keep him with New York through the conclusion of the 2029–30 season.

National team career

Bridges represented the United States national team at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He led Team USA with a game-high 24 points against Italy as they advanced into the semifinals. After falling to Germany, they faced Canada for bronze. In a pivotal moment during that matchup, Bridges made one free throw and deliberately missed another to secure an offensive rebound followed by a three-point shot that forced overtime. Despite this effort, Canada prevailed and Team USA finished fourth in the tournament.

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;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Phoenix | style="background:#cfecec;"|56* || style="background:#cfecec;"|56* || 36.4 || .463 || .387 || .897 || 4.3 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .8 || 17.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn | style="background:#cfecec;"|27*|| style="background:#cfecec;"|27*|| 34.2 || .475 || .376 || .894 || 4.5 || 2.7 || 1.0 || .6 || 26.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn | 82 || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 34.8 || .436 || .372 || .814 || 4.5 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .4 || 19.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | style="background:#cfecec;"|82 || style="background:#cfecec;"|82*|| 37.0|| .500|| .354|| .814|| 3.2|| 3.7|| .9|| .5||17.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 556||489||33.3||.484||.371||.843||4.0||2.7||1.2||.6||14.8

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2021 | 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 | style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix |13||13||38.5|| .478|| .394|| .933||4.7||2.8||1.1||| 1.0||13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2023 | style="text-align:left;" | Brooklyn |4||4||| 39.3||| .429||| .400||| .783||| 5.3||| 4.0||| .5||| .5||| 23.5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- class= "sortbottom"

|- |style= "text-align:center" colspan= "2"| Career
|- |57|||57|||36.3||| .466||| .363||| .856|||4,5|||2,5|||1,2|||,8|||13,9

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2014–15 | style="text-align:left;"|Villanova | style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Redshirt |- | 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

Personal life

Bridges supports the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Phillies.

In a December 2023 interview with GQ, Bridges disclosed that he has maintained a daily habit of dining at Chipotle Mexican Grill for the past decade, underscoring a steady personal routine alongside his athletic career.

External links