Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges credits his mom, Tyneeha Rivers, for his ascension in the NBA.

In 2018, Bridges was drafted by his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. He was euphoric, but he was traded to the Phoenix Suns immediately after that. 

He was confused and wasn’t sure what to think. Fast forward to three years later, Bridges is shinning in the NBA and is a crucial player for the Suns team.

It has been quite the journey for the NBA player, but he has not forgotten what it took to get him there.

The NBA star thanks his mom, who always took him to practice and games as a kid.

Basketball moms are great. They do a lot. They’re usually the ones with the cars packed with all your friends in there to take you to the games.

The NBA world probably first heard of Rivers the night he was drafted. But she is more than just the mom who takes her son and their friends to the games.

Mikal Bridges’ Mom in the NBA

Even before Bridges entered the NBA, his mom was already part of the organization.

For the unversed, his mom is the vice president of human resources for Philadelphia 76ers, and she worked hard to get to where she is. 

Mikal Bridges’ Mom, Tyneeha Rivers (Source: Tyneeha Rivers’ Instagram)

Rivers took ten years of night-school courses to collect her college degree and slept three hours a night for months at a time.

She worked her way from company to company as a human-resources savant. 

But in 2015, her fate changed when Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil discovered her. He then recruited her and put her in charge of the Sixers’ culture development.

Then, two years later, O’Neil entrusted her with the HR department of the New Jersey Devils, which the Sixers’ parent company, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owns.

And with new responsibilities, Bridges’ mom had to put her further education on hold.

The Human Resource vice president told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she wanted to bring a unique view and use her own experiences to decide who they recruited. 

Mikal Bridges’ Mom on His Career

The night Bridges’ was drafted, she was elated when it seemed like he was playing for the team he grew up rooting for.

But an hour later, when Bridges’ was traded, his mother was left disappointed. 

Of course, Rivers would prefer if her son played for the 76ers, but ultimately she was elated her son had achieved his dream of playing in the NBA.

Rivers understood that NBA was also ultimately a business and the mother-son duo made it work. 

She revealed that Sixers management and former head coach Brett Brown apologized to her a “gazillion times.” 

Even though Rivers and her son did not expect something like that to happen, she acknowledged that it was the best thing for Bridges’ career.

And with his mom cheering him on, nothing is impossible for the Phoenix Suns forward.