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"He was not impressive" - Jay Wright recalls why Villanova nearly passed on Mikal Bridges
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- "He was not impressive" - Jay Wright recalls why Villanova nearly passed on Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges continues to win in his basketball journey. He is doing it the way he knows how to, with good old resilience and making full use of his physical attributes and crisp skill set on both ends of the ballgame.
The 10th overall pick in the 2018 Draft recently added an NBA champion to his CV after he helped the New York Knicks end a 53-year title drought. He was part of the starting crew of the orange and blue as they bested the San Antonio Spurs in five games of their best-of-seven series.
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Bridges, 29, provided steady play for the Knicks in their title conquest, going for 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 42.1 percent from three in 33 minutes of play in the Big Dance.
The championship was in addition to the two national titles (2016 and 2018) he won while playing for Villanova University , alongside Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart .
The Wildcats were not interested at first
Bridges starred for Great Valley High School in his hometown of Malvern, Pennsylvania. While he was highly recruited by top collegiate programs like Georgetown, Florida and Texas, he chose to stay close to home and committed to Villanova.
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Interestingly, the Wildcats, led by then-coach Jay Wright, were initially not interested in recruiting Bridges, who they felt was too skinny and would take time to develop into the wing player they were envisioning.
Wright recalled their initial reservations about getting Bridges in his recent appearance on "The Mike Francesa Podcast" as he talked about his former players who are now integral parts of the Knicks.
"He was 6'6", 6'7" and was well-known because of his length and his potential. We were not really recruiting him because he just was really thin and we just thought physically it was going to take him some time [to develop him]," Wright, who coached Villanova from 2001-2022, shared .
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"He wasn't really overly impressive except for the fact he had a great high school coach who taught him how to play without the basketball. He was the star, but he moved without the ball, used screens, he cut… And we thought he really knows how to play," he added.
Bridges eventually proved his worth after he redshirted in his freshman year. In his first year playing with the Wildcats, he came off the bench and helped his team win the national title in 2016.
He continued to progress, and by the time he played his last year in the 2017-18 campaign, he was a starter and went for career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 43.5 percent from three to go along with 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals. Bridges was named to the First Team All-Big East and helped Villanova win its second NCAA title in three years.
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NBA iron man
In 2018, he joined the NBA, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the Phoenix Suns . He spent five years in The Valley before being shipped to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the deal for Kevin Durant . Then, in 2024, he joined the Knicks and reunited with Nova teammates Brunson and Hart.
Since being drafted, Bridges has yet to miss an NBA game, with his streak standing at 638 straight as of the end of the 2025-26 regular season. He holds the active record for the most consecutive games played, made impressive as he has been able to do it in the era of load management.
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With the newly minted NBA champions, the Knicks, Bridges has had his ups and downs, but has generally been a key part of the rotation as a starter.
Bridges has come a long way in his basketball journey. And while he seemingly did not look the part of an impactful player on the big stage early on, by putting in the work, he has made believers out of doubters.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
