The memories of being drafted and traded at the same time by his beloved hometown team in Philadelphia 76ers remain fresh at the side of Mikal Bridges.
In his guesting on the “The CJ McCollum Show”, Bridges recalled the moment how special it was for him to be chosen initially by the 76ers.
“I was about to tear up just because how crazy it was. I’m like ‘I’m really about to be home, my mom was for six years, I’ve been talking about this all year’. Like that was the biggest thing of my senior year of college was like if Philly got the 10th pick, they’ll be dumb if they don’t get Mikal. Hometown kid, they 3-and-D guy like it was set up like,” Bridges said in the show (h/t Ky Carlin of USA Today). “It was just set up for me to go and like the emotions was nuts. I remember being in the media room and I have my Sixers hat on and I’m sitting down and everybody in the Philly media’s sitting down and, I kid you not, like I know every person there. Like since high school and college like I’m sitting there and people raise their hand and I’m like, pointing at them like big smiles like ‘Oh! My guy!’ like ‘What up! Good to see you’.”
But upon being dumped by Philly to the Phoenix Suns, Bridges can only be shocked and frustrated with how things have turned upside down.
“I walked out they told me the news and I was literally pissed off,” Bridges said of his reaction when traded. “Like actually pissed off and it took me days after to like be appreciative of the moment like ‘Listen, Kal. Like you went top 10. Like you got drafted. Like I know is you’re in a moment. It’s human nature to be upset about about not going to place you want to go’ and it took me days to realize that, but I was pissed off that night. I didn’t go out. I stayed in my hotel room. I was literally – I was that was that man. For what? Like, what am I pissed off about? Like I went top 10 and my freaking dream. So that took me days to like really get over that. It was wild. It was really wild.”
Now the Brooklyn Nets’ rising star, Bridges can at least try to deliver a payback on what the Sixers have done to him, as they are squaring off for their first-round matchup which will start on Saturday.
