Suns Fans Absolutely Should Root for Mikal Bridges, Knicks

PHOENIX — The New York Knicks await Game 7's winner between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder to compete in the 2026 NBA Finals, though it's never been clearer who Suns fans should be rooting for regardless of Saturday night's result.

Partly thanks to Phoenix's respective rivalries for both the Thunder and Spurs, but also thanks to Mikal Bridges.

Bridges, an essential glue guy previously for the Suns, hasn't played for Phoenix since he was shipped out in the trade for Kevin Durant back in 2023 — though his play and personality that made him a fan favorite in the Valley still translates to this very day.

“Yeah, when I was in Phoenix, and I lost.”

Mikal Bridges bringing up bad memories when asked if he’s ever been in a one-sided game like Hawks/Knicks before 😅 pic.twitter.com/qVHHmPeoTD
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) May 1, 2026

Bridges initially was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in the Durant deal before being swapped to the New York Knicks in the summer of 2024.

He and former Suns guard Landry Shamet have each played their respective roles in helping the Knicks get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

"It's crazy that when we first walked on the court, it didn't hit me too hard," Bridges said on his return to Phoenix back on Dec. 14, 2023.

"I was kind of chilling, shooting on the court, being on the court again, kind of going in the locker room, when I walked in I said, 'OK, this is what it feels like to be in the opposing locker room.'"

Bridges' mix of availability, tough defense and shot-making qualities turned him into a key piece for the Suns. For fans, his bright and energetic personality — always accompanied with a smile — made him somebody incredibly easy to root for.

That's still the case in 2026, even if it won't be in Phoenix.

There's just a few Suns fans not willing to root for Bridges and the Knicks in the NBA Finals while a hefty majority want to see Bridges win what many feel is a deserved title, especially since Phoenix was so close in 2021.

It feels like there's little downside to the Knicks winning a title, at least wearing the Suns-colored glasses. That would mean the evil empires of OKC or San Antonio go ringless this season while Bridges likely plays a key role in helping a team win a championship.

In some sense, Phoenix fans would feel a sense of pride watching their beloved player etch his name into NBA history while confetti falls around him.

That absolutely should be the case.

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