Miles Bridges recognizes the obvious when it comes to his new start with Suns.
For as his talented as he may be, there are plenty in the desert who are not thrilled with Phoenix acquiring a player previously arrested on a domestic violence charge that later led to an NBA suspension.
“Like (general manager Brian Gregory) said, there’s mixed feelings about me being here,” Bridges said Wednesday. “I take full responsibility of my actions. I’ve been to counseling, I’ve been to therapy, and right now I’m just prioritizing, just like B.G. said, being better as a man every day, on and off court — mainly off the court — and just being a great father and earning the trust of this fan base and community.”
The Suns formally introduced Bridges on Wednesday after recently finalizing the surprising trade that saw Phoenix acquire Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and 2027 second-round selection from the Hornets for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and a 2033 first-round pick.
Gregory called Bridges a “perfect fit for us,” but there are certainly questions about that fit when it comes to his past legal troubles.
Police arrested Bridges in 2022 on a domestic violence charge after an argument with his wife turned physical in Los Angeles.
His wife, Mychelle Johnson, alleged that he choked her until she passed out, broke her nose and gave her a concussion that landed her in the hospital.
Bridges pled not guilty and avoided jail time in a plea agreement, and sat out the 2022-23 season. The NBA later handed him a 30-game suspension in April 2023.
In October 2023, Bridges was accused of violating a protective order of an ex-girlfriend after throwing billiard balls at the window and windshield of her car.
That case was ultimately dropped, per ESPN.
Gregory labeled Bridges’ past actions as “unacceptable behavior” before saying the 28-year-old has accepted responsibility for his acts and noting that he has gone to counseling.
“Those questions are part of his story,” Gregory said. “He’s dealt with them before and he’ll deal with them today as well. I think those questions, we were aware of and we knew about, and that’s also why we took this decision so seriously during the process and when we made it.”
He added: “I have no question at all that he understands the responsibility of what our organization’s expectations and value are. We will hold him accountable to the same high stands of everyone that is part of the Phoenix Suns organization. There will be no wavering on that.”
Bridges, a 2018 first-round pick, joins the Suns after eight seasons with the Hornets.
He averaged 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this past season to help Charlotte enjoy a resurgence, but the franchise opted to move on.
Bridges owns career averages of 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Said Bridges: “I’m excited to be here, I feel like I’m going to be a great fit, excited to play with (Devin Booker), Jalen (Green), Dillon (Brooks), and the younger guys too, as well.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
