PHOTO: Knicks' Villanova boys quartet connect on FaceTime moments after Mikal Bridges' trade to New York
The New York Knicks have finally united their Villanova quartet by acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster trade. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will now be joined by their former college teammate Bridges in the Knicks, making the long-awaited reunion a reality.
Shortly after the trade was announced, the quartet connected via a FaceTime call.
Josh Hart posted a screenshot of the FaceTime call on X (formerly Twitter). See it below:
Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo were all part of Villanova’s 2016 championship team.
The four played together for two seasons at Villanova.
Bridges, the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has evolved into a top-tier two-way player since his college days. Brunson has become an All-Star for the Knicks, while Hart and DiVincenzo have turned into dependable guards, contributing significantly to the Knicks' 2024 playoff run.
In March, Hart compared Bridges' situation in Brooklyn to the popular Spongebob meme where Squidward looks out the window at Spongebob and Patrick having fun, implying that Bridges might have been unhappy with the Nets' performance.
The Knicks ended the season with the second-best record in the East and reached the second round of the playoffs, whereas the Nets finished in the 11th seed.
The Knicks have been aggressive in acquiring star talent, previously trading young players RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Malachi Flynn and Quentin Grimes to secure OG Anunoby, who has declined his player option and is a free agent, and Bojan Bogdanovic, who is headed to Brooklyn as part of the Mikal Bridges trade.
Looking at Mikal Bridges and Villanova’s 2016 championship
Mikal Bridges and the Villanova Wildcats won the 2016 NCAA men's basketball tournament by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74, with Kris Jenkins hitting a last-second three-pointer to secure their first national title in 31 years.
With the game tied at 74-74 and just 4.7 seconds remaining, UNC's Marcus Paige made a double-clutch three-pointer that appeared to push the game into overtime. However, Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono, who later became a part of the Knicks, sprinted down the court and passed to an open Jenkins, who made the game-winning three-pointer as time ran out.
In that season, Josh Hart was Villanova's standout player, averaging 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Jalen Brunson, a starter, contributed with averages of 9.6 points and 2.5 assists per game.
Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench for Villanova. Bridges averaged 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while DiVincenzo averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in nine appearances.