Jake: Hey I’m Jake of Body by Jake with you a motivational minute. I’m here with Mikkal Bridges, Phoenix Suns phenom. How about that man? How are you? Great to see you brother! How are you?
Mikkal: I’m great man, how are you?
Jake: I’m doing great! So talk to me about training because obviously you can’t just roll in and be an NBA player. What kind of training?
Mikkal: Always! You take some time off just for your body and mentally just off basketball, but I was always working in games. Just different aspects as I got older, especially in college.
You learn to take stuff like yoga class and stuff like that. I mean I was just playing. You’d be smart with your body, you know, working out, lifting, eating right and all the things like that are the biggest keys for you. I just love the game so much.
Jake: So it doesn’t feel like work to you?
Mikkal: No, it doesn’t feel like work.
Jake: So if you were up standing up in front of a fourth grade class or a sixth grade class or a 10th grade class, what would you tell those kids right now?
Mikkal: I mean I would tell them to have fun and play as much basketball as you can. You don’t always have to be the best leagues or whatever. You go out, playing an outdoor league or play a little and you just have fun. I mean, that’s what I’ve learned.
When I was growing up, like I said, me and my friends stayed at the YMCA all day. Barely get there when we wake up, and be there. I made my mind up. Give me a membership and we just you know, my friends would literally be there the whole day.
Jake: You guys put the time in.
Mikkal: It’s not like we’re in there the whole time, doing drills. What kid does that? We’re obviously we’re doing some shooting stuff, but at the end of day, we’re having fun, we’re just playing around. Playing 1 on 1, play horse.
Jake: Is there is there something that you do at the foul line or before you come onto the court? Do you have some ritual?
Mikkal: I usually pray before a game. Just like a little prayer. I’m just like help our team play well and that and I have no injuries on both ends of the court. Injuries is the worst thing so I’ll just pray for that for both teams. Whoever you play against. I think I’ve been doing that since college and I just I stick with it.
Jake: Unbelievable! Mikkal – fantastic man!
