Mikal Bridges, who grew up in Malvern, recently joined Brooklyn Nets, and will lead his new team in a showdown with his childhood one, the Philadelphia 76ers, this weekend in the first-round playoff opener at Wells Fargo Center, writes Brian Lewis for the New York Post. 

One of the people who will be supporting the Nets on the game day is his mother, Tyneeha Rivers. 

“It’s still surreal to see my son play against the hometown team, the team I grew up watching and cheering for,” she said. 

Bridges, who ran the most miles in the NBA this season also became the first player in over three decades to lead the league in minutes for consecutive seasons. He inherited this work ethic from Rivers, who raised him as a single mother while working and taking classes at Cabrini College at the same time. 

“He was able to see that hustle and grind, what grit and determination really looks like early on,” said Rivers. “And it was easy to pass on to him.” 

Read more about Mikal Bridges in the New York Post. 

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