Former Phoenix Suns standout Mikal Bridges, who is now NBA Finals-bound with the New York Knicks, became the first player in NBA history to make two separate NBA Finals appearances without missing a single game.
With a ho-hum, dominant sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. They brought joy to Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and new-wave Knicks superfan and actor Timothee Chalamet, who was 4 years old the last time NYK reached the Finals.
Suns fans, meanwhile, can only look on like the Squidward window meme as they watch a former fan favorite help guide a new team to the league’s final showdown.
Mikal Bridges’ NBA Ironman status justifies Knicks acquisition
Bridges, who formed the lovable “Twins” combination with fellow former Suns wing player Cameron Johnson in The Valley, was shipped away in the blockbuster trade that netted Phoenix future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant in February 2023.
Before that deal, a 24-year-old Bridges was part of the 2021 Suns team that reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton in the mix.
Fast-forward to 2026 and Bridges (postseason included) has now played in 709 consecutive games en route to his second NBA Finals appearance, earning the title of NBA Ironman. The Suns with Durant never made it past the second round of the playoffs and missed the postseason altogether in 2025.
There was plenty of discourse about the Knicks’ decision to trade a stunning five first-round picks (along with Bojan Bogdanovic and other pieces) to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2024.
But now that the Knicks are Finals-bound and Bridges has yet to miss any time for them, it’s becoming more clear that the trade was justified.
After a season spent mired with injury woes to Jalen Green, Mark Williams and Grayson Allen, among others, the Suns’ fan base knows how valuable a player like Bridges is to a team.
Having his consistency, reliability and stalwart defense night in and night out is an underrated factor on a Knicks squad featuring stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. But that doesn’t make Bridges any less valuable to what New York is doing.
Unlike the Suns, who made a collection of blockbuster trades that didn’t pan out, the Knicks’ front office is reaping the rewards of their own risky, big-swing trade decisions.
For Suns fans, they can only wonder what could have been in a different timeline where Bridges never left The Valley of the Sun.
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