Mike Bibby wasn’t with the New York Knicks in his prime. Now that Mikal Bridges is, however, Bibby warned both sides of the challenges ahead.

The former NBA veteran, now involved in Ice Cube’s Big3 league, spoke about the Knicks’ biggest move from the 2024 offseason, a rare trade with the Brooklyn Nets that added yet another Villanova University alum to the metropolitan fold. Bibby advised Bridges of a somewhat damning realization, one where he’s no longer the top opton on a New York City basketball team.

“You have to see it play out,” Bibby said in an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Scoop B Radio. “He was a No. 1 option in Brooklyn. When you’re on a new team and you’re not the No. 1 option no more, you have to see how a guy’s going to play out in that situation.”

Like Bridges, Bibby won a collegiate national championship with a team known as the Wildcats, prevailing with Arizona in the 1997 edition of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. He later partook in 1,001 NBA games, the last 39 with the Knicks during the 2011-12 season.

Bridges was once seen as the face of the Nets’ post-Kevin Durant/James Harden/Kyrie Iring era but he struggled in one season with the unofficial title. He now seeks to reclaim the narrative of his NBA career with a little help from his friends, including Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart.

To his credit, Bridges has frequently embraced last season’s struggles and has often lauded what his Nets tenure has done for his career, remarking that his “game grew” on Atlantic Avenue. The Knicks certainly hope that Bridges proves to perform as advertised, as they parted ways with five first round picks to obtain his services.

The Knicks appear to be doing anything in their power to make Bridges feel comfortable: in addition to his Villanova squad, Bridges will also get to work with a gang of former Suns, including Saturday signee Landry Shamet.

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