Getty Mikal Bridges #25 of the Phoenix Suns.
The Philadelphia 76ers could desperately use a three-and-D floor, floor spacing, Philadelphia-loving wing. In fairness, so could every single team in the league (minus, maybe, the Philadelphia-loving attribute).
The good news? The Sixers had that player. The bad news? The Sixers had that player in Mikal Bridges. And promptly traded him for Zhaire Williams. In case one is wondering, Williams is currently out of the league and Bridges is coming off a First Team All-Defense nod and just one year removed from going to the Finals with the Phoenix Suns.
Oh, and about that Philadelphia-loving spirit? Bridges has it in spades. Imagine if Rocky threw down on a cheesesteak while signing the Declaration of Independence with Betsy Ross and one might get close to understanding the level of love Bridges has for the City of Brotherly Love.
Bridges won two national titles with Villanova and grew up in Philadelphia. Want even more? His mother worked for the Philadelphia 76ers when the club drafted him (and then promptly shipped him) in 2018.
Despite three seasons in the desert, Bridges hasn’t lost his Philly fandom. As the Philadelphia Phillies geared up for their first playoff game in over a decade, Bridges was there to live-tweet the entire saga.
FIGHTINS
Earlier in the summer, Bridges was spotted at a Phillies-Diamondbacks game.
Mikal Bridges ‘Rides With Philly Rob’
On August 30, Bridges rolled up to the D-Backs-Phillies game in honor of “Mikal Bridges Appreciation Day.” At the time, the Phillies were on a roll, having fired Opening Day manager Joe Girardi and replaced him with interim Rob Thomson. And Bridges showed his support for the interim manager during the game.
“@mikal_bridges rides with Philly Rob,” tweeted Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
.@mikal_bridges rides with Philly Rob
And after the game, Bridges sat down with Diamondbacks postgame reporter Todd Walsh. While Walsh kept Bridges on track by talking about the desert club, Bridges managed to open up on what it means to be a Philadelphia sports fan.
Bridges: It’s All About Loyalty
For Bridges, being a Philadelphia sports fan boils down to one word.
“We’re loyal no matter what,” Bridges told Walsh after the game. “If we’re losing or winning we’ll celebrate when we lose, we’ll find hope out of any loss. It’s great.”
It’s a fair take and one that should come as especially biting for Sixers fans. Where was this Philadelphia loyalty when Bridges was shipped to Arizona moments after being taken by his hometown club? The Process wasn’t built on feelings and sentiment; along the way, tough decisions had to be made.
But the trade for Bridges feels different. Maybe it’s because moving on from Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel didn’t hurt as bad because, well, they don’t have as many All-Defensive nods as Bridges combined. It feels different because Bridges is uber-talented and precisely what the team could use more of. Imagine Bridges slotting in at Tobias Harris’ expected role this season, spacing the floor for Embiid and raising the team’s collective defensive ceiling.
Would the Sixers be title favorites? It’s hard to deny the tantalizing possibility.