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).

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.

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.

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 assists 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, eight rebounds, and four 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.

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 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 eight points, three rebounds, and two steals in a 114–107 loss to the West team.

He also competed in the Jordan Brand Classic All-Star game.

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.

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 ten 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.

Bridges was selected 12th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2018 NBA draft, but was traded to the Hornets on draft night.