Mikal Bridges, forward player for the New York Knicks, agreed to a $150 million four-year contract extension last August.
Mikal Bridges has been playing in the NBA for several years now. He first entered the game in 2028, being selected in the tenth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Before he could play for the team, he was immediately traded to the Phoenix Suns on the night of his draft. Playing for the Suns, he made it to the 2021 NBA Finals alongside his team. After this, he was traded again in 2024 to the Brooklyn Nets and most recently traded to the New York Knicks in July 2024.
Mikal is valued as a reliable forward player, holding the record for having never missed a game in his entire career other than when he was injured. He has had a history of being traded frequently within the league. However, in a recent statement, it seems that he wishes to take root and stay with the Nicks.
When Bridges signed his $150 million contract extension, he left $6 million he could have claimed with the organization. Bridges during a media day said the following regarding why he made this decision.
“If I came here and preached how much I want to win, and tried to take every dollar and make it difficult for the organization, I’d just seem like a fraud, and that’s not who I am,” he continued his statement. “I want to win bad, and whatever it takes. … A couple more M’s won’t change my life, so it would be better to help everybody else out.”
Mikal Bridges at his core is a team player, doing what he thinks is best for his team to succeed, even if that means curbing his own success. Needless to say, the Knicks made a great decision in recruiting him.
