At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Malvern native Mikal Bridges, a rookie with the Phoenix Suns, has both the height and athleticism that NBA teams covet, writes Bill DiFilippo for Uproxx.

While playing at Villanova – where he redshirted as a freshman, then helped the Wildcats win two national championships – Bridges improved his game every year.

His obsession with the sport started early.

“Me and my friends, we’d just go to the park and just be outside, play basketball literally all day,” Bridges said. “And I remember we would always go to Wawa and get food and then get snacks and just jugs of drinks, because we knew we’d be outside all day. Ride our bikes there and ride out and just stay outside till the night and then come back.”

Bridges enjoyed a decorated scholastic career at Great Valley High School before joining the Wildcats.

“I always worked on everything,” he said. “I think the biggest thing was just make sure my jump shot was good, because once you start playing off your jump shot, it opens up everything else.”

Through the Suns’ first 39 games this season, Bridges has averaged 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Read more about Mikal Bridges from Uproxx here.

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