Top Five Things You Did Not Know About NBA Star Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges, a forward with the Phoenix Suns, is among the NBA’s most talented athletes. The Ironman of the Phoenix Suns is Mikal Bridges. In his four years in the NBA, he hasn’t missed a game, and in the regular season and playoffs in 2021–22, he led the team in minutes played per game. He participated in collegiate basketball with the Villanova Wildcats, who won the 2016 and 2018 national titles.
Before being traded to the Suns on draft night, Mikal Bridges was taken by the 76ers as the tenth overall choice in the 2018 NBA draft. In time for the 2018 NBA Summer League, Bridges joined the Suns. On July 6, 2018, he agreed to a 4-year, $17.6 million rookie-scale contract with the Suns.
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Unknown facts about Mikal Bridges
Nickname: “The Warden”
Deandre Ayton and Bridges were participating in a live chat when someone made the suggestion about the nickname, and Ayton loved it.
Won Julius Erving award
Mikal Bridges averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a junior while shooting 51 percent from the field, including 43.5 percent from 3-point range. The Julius Erving Trophy went to him as the best small forward.
Congrats to Mikal Bridges on winning the @Hoophall Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award!
Special honor for the @NovaMBB junior! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fixc4k7oTj
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 7, 2018
Led the league in 3 seasons for most games played
Mikal Bridges played 82 regular season games in his first season. He then played 72 games in the 2nd and 82 games in the 2021-22 season. He was a league leader in all these three seasons.
Became serious about basketball in sophomore year
Jim Nolan served as Bridges’ coach at Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania. After a growth spurt to reach 6-6 in his sophomore year, Mikal Bridges took basketball seriously.
Played tennis as a child
“I just wanted to play every sport, try every sport. Me and my mom always used to play tennis outside one-on-one in the summer or something, and I was always smaller,” Bridges said.
How do you think Mikal Bridges would've fared as a pro tennis player?
Incredible wingspan.
Quick. Athletic. Agile.#Suns wing talks about attending tennis camps as a kid. pic.twitter.com/SO5S6q0aLe
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 2, 2021
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