Knicks Star Trolls Mikal Bridges Over Nets Reunion

New York Knicks star Josh Hart found a taste of his own medicine to be quite sour.

Hart has made no secret about his desire to add Brooklyn Nets star and former Villanova University teammate Mikal Bridges to the Manhattan fold. Bridges, however, turned the tables on his fellow ex-Wildcat on Instagram, asking him to switch boroughs on a multi-photo post of Hart's, one depicting his studio work on ESPN/ABC during the ongoing NBA Finals.

"Are you ok?" Hart said in response to Bridges' bridge to Brooklyn. "If they have you hostage, just blink and we'll save you."

Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges on IG. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/ogB447DP6L
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 10, 2024

Bridges and Hart were part of the Villanova group that took home the national championship at the end of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. While the Knicks have added plenty of names to their Wildcat litter (with Hart joined by Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo), Bridges has proved elusive.

Mar 1, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) brings the ball up court against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Despite Leon Rose's best efforts and Hart's continued insistence, the Knicks might find landing Bridges to be a bit of a tall task: the 27-year-old has been frequently tagged as a franchise face in Brooklyn ever since he was brought in as the main piece of the Kevin Durant trade with Phoenix. Trades between the Knicks and the Nets are incredibly rare: the teams have bartered on only four occasions, most recently in 1983.

Bridges posted respectable numbers but nonetheless struggled in his first full season on Atlantic Avenue, putting in 19.6 points on just over 43 percent shooting. His career has perhaps been defined by futile advances from the Knicks: he told the "Tidal League" podcast in 2023 that he expected to be drafted by the Knicks upon his NBA entry in 2018 but New York landed Kevin Knox with the ninth overall pick instead. Bridges was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers and immediately traded to the Suns.

“I thought I was going to go to New York at (No.) 9," Bridges recalled. "I was excited, though, because I wanted to go to the Knicks, I wanted to be in New York, I’m like that’s lit."

In any event, Hart will be back on the airwaves come Wednesday night, as he'll continue his Finals coverage for Game 3 of the championship series between Boston and Dallas (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!