It was a long-rumored selection that came true, as the Sixers drafted hometown kid Mikal Bridges out of Villanova with the tenth pick in the draft. It was extra special for Bridges and his mother, Tyneeha Rivers, because Rivers works as VP of human resources for the group that owns the Sixers and the New Jersey Devils.
Both of them were clearly very excited about it, although Rivers was definitely more expressive:
And that’s understandable! Her son was going to be playing professionally for an ascendant franchise, staying in town, and playing in the same building where Rivers works! It’s a mom’s dream come true!
That’s great, and lovely, and fun.
And then, within an hour, reality hit:
Suns are acquiring Mikal Bridges in a deal that will send Smith to Sixers, league source tells ESPN. Suns will send 2021 first-round pick via Miami in deal too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2018
That’s so, so harsh! It’s also a bit of an odd move; 2021 is a long way away and most people had Bridges as a clearly better prospect than Smith, but as you may have heard, the Sixers front office has undergone some recent upheaval.
The reaction to losing that feel-good moment was swift:
LOL JK!!
Enjoy the arid desert instead pic.twitter.com/JAkkfuvU1w
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) June 22, 2018
☹️ @sixers pic.twitter.com/gPl0D1nRQE
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) June 22, 2018
The Sixers deleted the tweet, which is also funny, and anything related to the Sixers and Twitter gets a humor amplification for a while.
Mikal Bridges mom's gonna be writing up the entire front office
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 22, 2018
Momma is going to be hot.
— Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) June 22, 2018
Of course, there is a side to this that isn’t cool at all:
Mikal Bridges has still not been informed of the trade to Phoenix. He's still answering questions about Philadelphia, talking about how excited he is to stay home
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) June 22, 2018
Where was his agent? That’s tough. But, in the end, Bridges heads to Phoenix to play in the NBA for millions alongside newly-minted #1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton, so there are certainly worse fates.
