Nets' Mikal Bridges names his favorite player growing up

Mikal Bridges provided plenty of insightful answers when the Nets’ social media team fielded a series of questions about what life is like for the new Brooklyn forward off the court. But when asked who his favorite player was, Bridges paused and laughed awkwardly before giving his honest answer: Kevin Durant.

Bridges, of course, headlined the package of players and draft picks the Suns traded for Durant on Feb. 9. Phoenix’s acquisition of the 34-year-old superstar is considered one of the biggest blockbuster deals in NBA trade deadline history.

His response drew laughter from Nets staff members filming him, likely due to Durant’s awkward exit from the team with which he signed as a free agent in 2019 but never made it past the second round of the playoffs of the NBA. Despite this, Durant is still widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA, and the Suns are widely considered championship contenders with a core built around him, Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

[Kevin Durant expected to make Suns debut vs. Hornets Wednesday]

Still, many Suns fans were sad to see Bridges and Cam Johnson go in the trade, which also sent Jae Crowder and four unprotected first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Durant and TJ Warren. Bridges and Johnson became useful two-way power forwards for the Suns. They were also fan favorites who embraced Phoenix and were active in the local community. Bridges admitted during a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast that he would miss living in Arizona.

However, Bridges also recently told ESPN that he is embracing his new role as one of the Nets’ most recognizable players, with Durant’s trade marking the end of a tumultuous era in which Brooklyn was not in the height of the expectations of the championship. Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Irving was traded to the Mavericks on February 5 after numerous off-court controversies, while Harden was traded to the 76ers in February 2022.

In the ESPN interview, Bridges cited advice from Suns coach Monty Williams, saying that Williams always preaches that “you don’t get sent to war” when faced with tests related to the basketball Bridges also mentioned another quote from Williams in the Nets video, saying it’s the best advice he’s ever received: “Keep your spirits up.”

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