NBA star Mikal Bridges becomes a substitute teacher for one day for a wholesome reason

Mikal Bridges has become a very popular player in the NBA, and since being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, he's made a big impact on their team. He's especially known for his lively playing style, quickness, and smart basketball moves, which make him really valuable for defense on the court. Recently, after the Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bridges traveled from his Manhattan apartment to an elementary school, PS 134 in Brooklyn for a wonderful reason, as per CBS News.

Bridges's dream (other than becoming an NBA icon) was to be "a second-grade teacher" and he got to fulfill it recently. Talking about the reason behind it, he said, "I think just helping kids has always been a big thing of mine." When asked why he specifically prefers the second grade, he said, "Why second grade? Because I loved second grade when I was young. I feel like that was one of the years I really remember. Just having a great year. I had a great teacher named Ms. Porter and just I feel like I always loved second grade."

Bridges, who grew up in Philadelphia, was inspired by his teacher Ms. Porter. Thankfully, he got an opportunity to fulfill his small dream at PS 134, where he stepped up as a substitute teacher for a day. Despite having a tiring schedule that saw him come back home at 1:30 am from his game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Nets star was present on time for his brief stint as a teacher.

He channeled his inner teacher at the public school, engaging with students and imparting lessons. Bridges sat among first, second, and fourth graders, participating in various activities with them. He even attended questions and answers sessions and tried his hand at teaching math using NBA data.

One of the students asked him a question that surprised him, "How do you incorporate your personal life with your professional life?" He replied, "I like that [question], It's not that bad. I think the biggest thing is time. In season, you don't have that much time because I travel a lot. But I've been in it about for six years now, so I found a good balance between hanging out with friends and relaxing and preparing for the games."

Another student asked him why he didn't pursue teaching as his primary career and Bridges had the most heartwarming reply, "This is just the first part of my journey, so I think teacher is going to come up next. Trying to do both." While teaching math at the school, Bridges revealed that he loved the subject during his childhood and said he would help other students in solving math problems, "I'll try to teach them. Like, 'Oh, this is how I learned it and it's pretty simple to me this way. Just think of it this way'." It was a field day for the children at PS-134 as they got to meet the iconic NBA star, but for Bridges, it was a dream come true moment as he got to fulfill his wish, even if it meant for a brief period.