The Brooklyn Nets aren’t having the best season as they seem destined for another early offseason. However, Mikal Bridges has continued to become one of the few bright spots for fans who decide to show up at the Barclays Center.
While the Nets are still trying to figure out their long-term plans, the team will rely on Bridges to perform as their primary scorer. Such a role wouldn’t have been thought possible for a player who was only considered a good role player when he entered the draft.
Many NBA fans may not be aware that the star player would have gone an entirely different route if his dreams of playing in the best professional basketball league in the world didn’t pan out. And his alternative career path is something that will completely rattle NBA fans.
Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges wanted to be a 2nd-Grade teacher if NBA career didn’t succeed
For many aspiring NBA players, the thought of finding another career path isn’t usually a valid option until it stares them in the face. They want to be in the league so badly that they don’t even care about finding another career.
However, this is far from the case for one of the league’s most durable players. He revealed in a recent interview that he has another dream aside from hooping for a living:
He shared that his second-grade teacher, Ms. Porter, inspired him to become an inspiration to children. Overtime Heroics’ Azam Mohammad wrote about his off-court actions that prove this dream as one that wasn’t cooked up on the spot:
The basketball star arrived at the school after a late-night game and found the students’ enthusiasm and energy contagious.
He played basketball with fourth graders during gym class and answered their questions about his life and career.
Bridges also taught a math lesson, played the xylophone during music class, and even joined first-grade students during lunch and recess.
It would have been quite a sight for schoolchildren to see a 6’6″ teacher eagerly teaching them about math, but that’s just what the Brooklyn Nets star is passionate about.
Nets fans are more than happy that he thrived with a ball in his hands, though. He’s currently putting up solid numbers as the Nets’ first option with 20.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 44%/37%/81% shooting splits.
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