Mikal Bridges' mom was pleased when the Philadelphia 76ers picked her son as the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Her happiness didn't last too long, as the team dealt the draftee to Phoenix shortly after.
Via Redditor "GuyCarbonneauGOAT":
On June 21, 2018, Bridges was selected with the tenth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA draft. Besides being a Philadelphia-area player (and the first of four Villanova players drafted this year), Bridges' mother, Tyneeha Rivers, is the Vice President of Human Resources for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, which hires for the 76ers. Soon afterward, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for draft rights to Zhaire Smith (16th pick) and a future first round pick.
Former Sixers coach Brett Brown, the acting general manager at the time after the Bryan Colangelo fiasco, was the one who was pulling the strings for Philadelphia.
Life continued after that for Bridges' mother, Tyneeha Rivers, but the Sixers management and former head coach Brett Brown knew that move hurt the woman. In a recent interview, Mrs. Rivers revealed that Brown has apologized to her many times since that moment happened.
"He must have apologized to me a gazillion times."
In the end, getting traded to Phoenix was the best thing for Bridges' career. He's now two games away from winning the NBA championship with the Phoenix Suns, playing an important role on Monty Williams' team.
As for his mother, she can't be happier about it. Life never goes the way we imagine it; sometimes, it's even better.
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