Mikal Bridges facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mikal Bridges

Bridges in 2024
No. 25 – New York Knicks
Shooting guard / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1996-08-30) August 30, 1996 (age 28) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	Great Valley (Malvern, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Villanova (2015–2018)
NBA Draft	2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	2018–present
League	NBA
Career history
2018–2023	Phoenix Suns
2023–2024	Brooklyn Nets
2024–present	New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Defensive First Team (2022) 2× NCAA champion (2016, 2018) Third-team All-American – AP, SN, NABC (2018) Julius Erving Award (2018) First-team All-Big East (2018) Second-team All-Big East (2017) Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year (2017) Big East tournament MVP (2018)

Mikal Bridges (pronounced mih-KEL; born August 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats. He helped them win two national championships in 2016 and 2018.

Mikal Bridges is sometimes called “the Warden” because of his strong defense. He was picked tenth overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns on the same night. With the Suns, he reached the 2021 NBA Finals. In February 2023, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Then, in July 2024, he joined the Knicks. Bridges holds an amazing record: he has not missed a single game in his NBA career since he was drafted. This makes him one of the NBA's "iron men."

Early Life and Family

Mikal Bridges was born to Jack Bridges and Tyneeha Rivers. His mother, Tyneeha, raised him as a single parent from a young age. He grew up in Overbrook, Philadelphia, and nearby areas. When he was in middle school, his family moved to Malvern, Pennsylvania. He also has a second cousin, Tyrone Garland, who was a basketball player for La Salle.

High School Basketball Career

Bridges went to Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania. His coach there was Jim Nolan. Mikal started taking basketball seriously in his second year of high school. This was when he had a big growth spurt and grew to 6 feet 6 inches tall.

Junior and Senior Years

In his junior year, he averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds per game. During his senior year, he was named First Team All-Class AAAA. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. The Philadelphia Inquirer also named him to their All-Southeastern Pa. first team for boys' basketball. By the end of his high school career, he had scored 1,340 points and grabbed 511 rebounds. ESPNU ranked him as the 82nd best player in the country. In June 2013, he decided to play college basketball for Villanova.

College Basketball Journey

Mikal Bridges had a very successful college career at Villanova. He helped his team win two national championships.

First Year at Villanova

Bridges did not play in his first year at Villanova. He "redshirted," which means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. He helped by scouting other players. In his first year playing, he played in all 40 games for the Wildcats. He worked hard on weightlifting and changing his three-point shot. He played a key role coming off the bench in the 2016 NCAA tournament. He scored 11 points in a big win against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Final Four. Bridges and his teammates won the NCAA championship. This was the first time Villanova had won since 1985. As a freshman, he averaged 6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. His coach, Jay Wright, was proud of how Mikal improved his defense.

Sophomore Year Success

Bridges playing in 2017

At the start of the 2016–17 season, Bridges was expected to be the team's sixth man. But he started every game after a teammate, Phil Booth, got a knee injury. Joe Juliano from The Philadelphia Inquirer called Bridges a "five-tool player" in college basketball. This means he was good at many things. He was known as a tall forward who could score and play great defense. He often guarded the best player on the other team. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 13 points to help Villanova win their first-round game. Bridges averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He made 54 percent of his shots and 39 percent of his three-point shots. He got better at scoring as the season went on. He averaged 12.3 points in his last 12 regular season games. Bridges was also one of three players named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He was third in the conference for steals, with 1.9 per game.

Junior Year Highlights

Bridges was named to the 2017–18 preseason All-Big East second team. He made all six of his three-point shots in a game against Lafayette, scoring 24 points. On December 4, he scored a career-high 28 points. He also had six rebounds and two blocks in a win over Gonzaga. Bridges scored 23 points in an overtime win against Seton Hall. At the end of the regular season, he was named to the All-Big East first team. He was also named MVP of the Big East tournament. He scored 28 points in the championship game, an overtime win against Providence.

As a junior, Bridges averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He shot 51 percent overall and 43.5 percent on three-pointers. He won the Julius Erving Award for being the best small forward. On April 10, 2018, Bridges decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft. He was the 10th player picked in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he was then traded to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns gave up the 16th pick, Zhaire Smith, and a future first-round pick for him.

Professional NBA Career

Mikal Bridges has played for three different teams in the NBA. He is known for his strong defense and for rarely missing games.

Phoenix Suns (2018–2023)

Starting His NBA Journey

The Philadelphia 76ers picked Bridges tenth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. But he was quickly traded to the Phoenix Suns. Bridges joined the Suns for the 2018 NBA Summer League. He signed a 4-year, $17.6 million contract with the Suns in July 2018. He missed the rest of the preseason due to an elbow injury.

Bridges played in the Suns' first regular season game on October 17, 2018. He made his professional debut in a big win over the Dallas Mavericks. Three days later, he scored his first NBA points. He had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals against the Denver Nuggets. On November 14, he started his first career game. He scored 8 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. On February 2, 2019, Bridges scored a season-high 20 points against the Atlanta Hawks. On February 25, he had a season-high 8 assists. This helped the Suns end a 17-game losing streak against the Miami Heat. Bridges had at least one steal in many games in a row. He was the only Suns player to play in all 82 games during his rookie season.

In November 2019, Bridges matched his career-high of 20 points against the Sacramento Kings. In December, he grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs. He matched this again two days later. On January 18, 2020, Bridges scored a season-high 26 points. He made 6 of 8 three-point shots in a win over the Boston Celtics. On March 8, he got his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories). He had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the 2020 NBA Bubble, Bridges started all eight games for the Suns.

Playoff Success and New Teams

On January 9, 2021, Bridges set a new career-high with 34 points against the Indiana Pacers. He helped the Suns start the season with a 7–3 record. On May 13, Bridges had 21 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals, Bridges scored 27 points. This helped the Suns take a 2–0 lead in the series. However, the Suns lost the Finals in 6 games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

In October 2021, Bridges signed a 4-year, $90 million contract extension with the Suns. The Suns finished the regular season with the best record in the league (64–18). Bridges was praised for his defense. He finished second in voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was also chosen for his first All-Defensive First Team. On April 26, 2022, Bridges scored a playoff career-high 31 points. He also had five rebounds and four blocks in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans. In the next round, the Suns took a 2–0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks but lost the series in seven games.

On November 9, 2022, Bridges scored a season-high 31 points. He also had nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 16, he almost got a "triple-double" (double digits in three categories). He had 23 points, 9 rebounds, and a career-high 9 assists in a win over the Golden State Warriors.

Brooklyn Nets (2023–2024)

Bridges playing for the Nets in 2023

On February 9, 2023, the Suns traded Bridges to the Brooklyn Nets. He was traded along with Cameron Johnson and Jae Crowder. The Nets also sent four future first-round picks to the Suns. In return, the Suns received Kevin Durant and T. J. Warren. When he joined the Nets, Mikal Bridges was given the fun nickname, Brooklyn Bridges, like the famous bridge. On February 11, Bridges played his first game for the Nets. He scored 23 points, had 6 rebounds, and 2 steals against the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 15, Bridges scored a career-high 45 points in a win over the Miami Heat. On March 26, Bridges scored 44 points against the Orlando Magic.

On April 3, Bridges won his first NBA Player of the Week award. He led the Nets to a perfect 3–0 week. He averaged 33 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals. He scored 42 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. On April 9, Bridges played his 83rd game of the season. He became one of only 42 players in NBA history to play 83 or more games in a regular season. As of the end of the 2023–24 season, Bridges still holds the record for the most consecutive games played, with 494 games. This makes him the current "iron man" of the NBA.

On December 2, 2023, Bridges scored 42 points against the Orlando Magic. He scored 26 of those points in the first quarter. On December 6, Bridges scored 30 points and made a game-winning shot against the Atlanta Hawks.

New York Knicks (2024–Present)

On July 6, 2024, Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks. He joined the Knicks along with Keita Bates-Diop. In return, the Nets received Bojan Bogdanović, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, five future first-round picks, and other draft picks. This trade brought Bridges back together with his former Villanova teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. This group is sometimes called the "Villanova Knicks" or "Nova Knicks."

On October 22, 2024, Bridges made his Knicks debut. He scored 16 points against the Boston Celtics. On December 25, Bridges scored 41 points in a Christmas Day win over the San Antonio Spurs. On March 12, 2025, Bridges scored 33 points. He also hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime against the Portland Trail Blazers. Bridges started all 82 games for the Knicks during the 2024–25 NBA season. He averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

In Game 1 of the conference semifinals, Bridges made a game-winning steal in an overtime win against the defending champion Boston Celtics. In Game 2, Bridges scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter. He also made a game-winning block in a close 91–90 win. This gave New York a 2–0 series lead over the Celtics. The Knicks came back from 20 points down to win for the second straight playoff game. This was the first time any team had done that. New York went on to beat Boston in six games. They then lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Playing for Team USA

Bridges was part of the United States national team that played in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He led the team with 24 points in a game against Italy, helping them reach the semifinals. They lost to Germany in the semis. This set them up for a bronze medal game against Canada. In that game, Bridges was fouled with 4.2 seconds left and Team USA was down by four points. He made the first free throw. Then, he intentionally missed the second one to get his own rebound. He then made a three-pointer that sent the game into overtime! However, Canada won in overtime to get the bronze medal. Team USA finished fourth in the tournament.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2014–15	Villanova	Redshirt
2015–16	Villanova	40	0	20.3	.521	.299	.787	3.2	.9	1.1	.7	6.4
2016–17	Villanova	36	33	29.8	.549	.393	.911	4.6	2.0	1.7	.9	9.8
2017–18	Villanova	40	40	32.1	.514	.435	.851	5.3	1.9	1.5	1.1	17.7
Career		116	73	27.3	.525	.400	.845	4.3	1.6	1.4	.9	11.3

Personal Life and Hobbies

Mikal Bridges is a big fan of sports outside of basketball too. He supports the Los Angeles Rams football team. He also cheers for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.

In December 2023, Bridges shared something interesting in an interview with GQ magazine. He said that he has eaten at Chipotle Mexican Grill every single day for the past ten years!

Fun Facts About Mikal Bridges

In December 2023, Mikal Bridges shared a fun fact in an interview. He said that he has eaten at Chipotle Mexican Grill every single day for the past ten years!

See also

In Spanish: Mikal Bridges para niños