After five seasons with the Suns, Mikal Bridges was traded to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2023 mid-season trade deadline along with Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks for Kevin Durant. The Valley favorite in Bridges left Phoenix with mixed feelings after his trade given his dedication to the team since his rookie season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the past month, Bridges played a crucial role for Team USA, serving as a representative for both the Nets and the United States at the FIBA World Cup.
On Sunday, United States lost 127-118 in overtime to Canada as they competed for third place in the FIBA World Cup. Bridges had 19 points shooting 50% from the field, adding two steals, four assists and nine rebounds for team USA.
With an impressive overall performance from Bridges, nothing compared to the incredible play he pulled off at the end of the fourth quarter. Trailing by three with just four seconds remaining, Bridges intentionally missed his second free throw after making the first, seized the rebound as it bounced towards the corner 3-point line, and sunk a turnaround 3-pointer to even the score at 111-111.
Bridges game tying 3, incredible sequence pic.twitter.com/rnpmDeHL3u
— Lukas (@KBsLakeShow24) September 10, 2023
Unfortunately for team USA, they were unable to pull through during overtime and were outscored 7-16.
Over team USA’s FIBA World Cup run, Bridges was a standout starter for the team, averaging 13.6 points per game shooting 63% from the field and adding 1.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
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Taylyn Hadley is a sports and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on X via @TAYLYNH11.
