Miles Bridges
Miles Emmanuel Bridges Sr. (born March 21, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is also an occasional rapper. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. A native of Flint, Michigan, he competed for Flint Southwestern Academy (freshman season) at the high school level before moving to Huntington Prep School for his sophomore, junior, and senior year. Bridges was selected 12th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2018 NBA draft, but was traded to the Hornets on draft night. Early life. Miles was  born on March 21, 1998, in Flint, Michigan, to Cynthia and Raymond Bridges. His father Raymond, a two-time basketball state champion at Flint Northern High School, taught him the game at the age of two. According to Miles, his sister Tara Rushing was an important figure in his childhood. Bridges attended middle school at Woodland Park Academy in Grand Blanc, Michigan. At age 12, he practiced at a local YMCA with future high school teammates and coach Keith Gray. High school career. As a freshman, Bridges played varsity basketball with Flint Southwestern Academy in his hometown of Flint, Michigan . There, he played alongside future George Mason signee Jaire Grayer and future Mississippi Valley commit Jovan Embry. He stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93) at 14 years of age and was a center. Bridges averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game, leading his team to the regional semifinals and a 17–6 record. He was soon offered an athletic scholarship by Oakland University. In July 2013, Bridges transferred to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia. He was encouraged to make the decision by former Flint Powers Catholic all-state guard JaVontae Hawkins, who had transferred to Huntington  Prep as well. Hawkins said, "Just getting away from the violence and distractions in Flint will help him grow and mature because he will be focused and away from his family." As a sophomore, he averaged 9.8 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 steals, and 3.3 Assist per game, while leading the Irish to a 29–5 overall record. In his junior year, Bridges and Huntington Prep played in the 2015 Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals Tournament at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens, New York. On April 2, 2015, Huntington Prep defeated  Jaylen Brown and #5 ranked Wheeler 73–70 in the quarterfinals. On April 3, Bridges had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a losing effort as Huntington Prep lost to #1 ranked Oak Hill Academy 61–51 in the semi-finals. On the season, Bridges averaged 15.7 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 3.5 assist per game, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 steals per game with a 31–3 record the most in the school's history, where he played alongside senior and future NBA player Thomas Bryant. In the 2015 summer, Bridges participated in the NBPA Top 100 Camp at  the John Paul Jones Arena in Virginia. As a senior, Bridges averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.0 steals while leading Huntington Prep to a 25–11 record. In January 2016, Bridges was named a McDonald's All-American and played in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game, on March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, IL, where he scored 8 points, 3 rebounds, and two steals in a 114–107 loss to the West team. He also competed in the Jordan Brand Classic All-Star game. College career. Bridges was a five-star recruit and was  ranked as the 10th-best player of his class by Rivals.com, while ESPN ranked him as the No.8 overall recruit in the 2016 high school class. He declined offers from schools such as Kentucky, Kansas, and Oregon. He announced that he would play for Michigan State on October 3, 2015. Head coach Tom Izzo labeled him a "blue-collar superstar" and expected him to easily fit into the team. In his debut vs. Arizona on November 12, 2016, Bridges scored 21 points and recorded seven rebounds. On November 24, he scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help defeat  St. John's. On December 1, Tom Izzo announced that Miles Bridges would miss "as least a couple of weeks" due an injured ankle. Bridges returned to action on January 4, 2017 after missing seven games. He scored a career-high 33 points in a January 24 loss to Purdue. Bridges was named Big Ten Freshman of the week five times. On February 2, 2017, Bridges was named as one of the 10 finalists on the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year watchlist. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the year and earned second team all-Big Ten  honors. He was named to the Sporting News Freshmen All-American Team and USBWA All-District V Team. He was also named unanimous AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year and AP All-Big Ten Second Team. He finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game in 32 minutes per game. On April 13, Bridges announced his intent to return to Michigan State for his sophomore season, a move prompting many experts to peg the Spartans as the 2018 National Championship favorites, especially with incoming freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. Many also believed Bridges  would be the national player of the year as well as being a top 5 pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Following Michigan State's loss in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Bridges announced his intention to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2018 NBA draft. Professional career. Charlotte Hornets (2018–present). On June 21, 2018, Bridges was selected with the twelfth overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2018 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the pick before him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander . On July 2, 2018, Bridges officially signed a four-year contract with the Hornets worth $16.3 million. Bridges participated in the 2019 Slam Dunk Contest. Bridges won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP award for Team USA in Chicago on February 14, 2020, and Team USA won against Team World 151–131. On November 20, 2021, Bridges scored a career-high 35 points, along with 10 rebounds, in a 115–105 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On April 13, 2022, during the Hornets' 103–132 play-in tournament loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Bridges was ejected and threw his mouthpiece at a 16 -year-old Hawks fan. The next day, he was fined $50,000 by the NBA for the incident.