Team USA began their quest for a gold medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with a dominant win. The most anticipated moment in the tournament went exactly as expected. They handed a humiliating 27-point loss to Team New Zealand as they cruised along with a 99-72 victory. However, amid the excitement of the game, a hilarious moment involving 26-year-old Mikal Bridges caught the attention of basketball fans.
Mikal Bridges got off to an impressive start at the FIBA World Cup in his matchup against Team New Zealand. The Brooklyn Nets star put up 7 points and 4 rebounds as he contributed to Team USA’s victory. However, before the game even began, Bridges had the fans cracking up with his signature move, also drawing comparisons to 2-time All-Star, Ja Morant.
Mikal Bridges makes a hilarious decision
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Mikal Bridges faced the consequences of the Phoenix Suns‘ pursuit of Kevin Durant, which landed him in Brooklyn. However, he made use of his opportunity to its full extent, elevating his two-way game and stunning the NBA world. This also prompted his selection to the Team USA roster in the FIBA World Cup, where he pulled his hilarious stunt.
Ever since Mikal Bridges joined the Brooklyn Nets, his stardom has skyrocketed. The attention the 26-year-old has received was unprecedented during his time with the Suns. However, his fame further elevated when he started bringing out his signature celebration after draining three-pointers. He points his thumb, index and middle fingers towards the crowd as he shakes his head in this iconic celebration. Unfortunately, he chose the worst times to bring out this move, which had fans cracking up.
The FIBA World Cup introduced an interesting way to announce starting 5’s of teams this year. While a graphic shows their names and jersey numbers, their headshots are animated, displaying short clips of the actual players. It was in this very animation that Bridges decided to pull out his signature move.
Bridges pulled out his signature move, almost seeming as though he is pointing a gun towards the camera. This had fans in splits who took to Twitter to share their hilarious responses to Nets swingman’s actions.
Fans react to Bridges’ naivety
Ridiculing his naivety, fans shared hilarious reactions to a video of his actions. They also questioned what would happen if the Memphis Grizzlies star, Ja Morant, who landed himself in a heap of trouble after gun-related incidents did Bridges’ signature move.
Fans remarked that Ja would face a lengthy suspension if he pulled out Bridges’ move.
Straight to Adam Silver jail. Suspended for another 25 games
— JB (@jinbahji77) August 27, 2023
Some claimed that the Nets swingman did this to mock Morant.
He be doin it to mock Ja 😂😂
— Raghav Tibrewala (@TibrewalaRaghav) August 27, 2023
Users shared clips of the legendary actor-director, Clint Eastwood to troll the 26-year-old.
— Bear Johnson (@BehrJonsson) August 27, 2023
Some just found the Nets star’s actions hilarious.
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😂😂😂😂😂😂 the best tweet i saw all day
— Russell Kerchner (@kerchne4) August 27, 2023
Bridges may have made a naive decision but definitely had the fans cracking up. Following his hysterical move, the Nets star put on an impressive display of his talents, scoring 7 points and contributing to Team USA’s dominant win.
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Although the United States contingent got off to a terrific start, they would be looking to maintain their success as the tournament progresses. Bridges will play a crucial role in their efforts as their starting small forward.