Though his acclimation in the season's hasn't been quite as seamless as anticipated, Damian Lillard is fully entrenched as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Remember the role the Brooklyn Nets played in his dramatic offseason trade request, though? Mikal Bridges, it appears, would've been just as thrilled to play with Lillard as the former Portland Trail Blazers superstar wouldn't been to play with him in Brooklyn.
At his jersey retirement on Saturday with Villanova University, Bridges—who's notably close with tens of players across the league—touched on how much the personal relationships he's developed in the NBA matter to him. Most significant among them? The bond he shares with Lillard, who Bridges calls his “favorite player.”
“Yeah, I think maybe just the players that I grew up watching and idolizing and wanting to play like and be like and was a big fan of, just getting close with them and then being friends with them and them complimenting me and stuff like that,” Bridges said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“So I probably just take away just the players I play against,” he continued. “I’m really close with (Damian Lillard); he’s one of my favorite players ever. And it’s just how we became friends and close through a trainer was really dope.”
The history between Mikal Bridges and Damian Lillard
The Nets and Miami Heat were the two teams Lillard reportedly preferred to play for upon making his trade request from Portland on July 1st. The future Hall-of-Famer had long raved about Bridges' game publicly, and intel suggested the chance to team with him in Brooklyn was the driving factor behind Lillard being open to a trade to the Nets. The pair grew close in recent years while working out in the offseason with Lillard's longtime trainer Phil Beckner.
Lillard, of course, was ultimately moved to the Bucks in late September, Milwaukee sending Jrue Holiday to Portland in a three-team deal that also landed the Blazers DeAndre Ayton and multiple first-round picks. After a slow start to his tenure with the Bucks, Lillard has played like his old self of late, combining for 64 points, 18 assists and nine triples on 50% shooting in back-to-back victories.
Bridges, meanwhile, is averaging 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season, all career-highs. Don't be surprised if his numbers improve from here, either. Bridges is shooting just 29.5% from deep, a mark well below his career norm that should get better as 2023-24 wears on despite a more difficult diet of shot attempts.
Brooklyn, ravaged by injury since the season tipped off in late October, enters Sunday's clash with the Philadelphia 76ers at 6-6, tied for tenth in the Eastern Conference.
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