Former Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges knows a thing or two about March Madness. The Villanova alum won National Championships alongside Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo in 2016 and '18, along with Big East Tournament MVP honors in the latter season.
Those Wildcat teams helped the program get to eighth all-time on the NCAA championship rankings, with three total. They also helped Villanova reach "blue-blood" status, which was solidified with its 2022 Final Four run.
Bridges then reconnected with his Wildcat teammates in 2024 when the Nets traded him to the New York Knicks for a package including five first-round picks.
Feb 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Mikal Bridges (25) and guard Jalen Brunson (1) and forward Darryl Reynolds (45) and forward Kris Jenkins (2) and guard Josh Hart (3) watch on as St. John's Red Storm guard Federico Mussini (4) shoots a technical during the second half at Wells Fargo. The Villanova Wildcats won 92-79. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Knicks traded DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves shortly after that, but they still retained three-fourths of the collegiate championship quartet.
Now that the 2025 NCA Tournament is currently underway, it was only right for DiVincenzo to reunite with the group for AT&T's March Madness campaign.
"I wish we played together forever"
Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges & Josh Hart in AT&T March Madness commercial pic.twitter.com/Cwp5VEu9iA
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 17, 2025
Bridges spoke to Athlon about the commercial, his Villanova experience, and his time with the Knicks thus far.
Q: Tell me about your partnership with AT&T.
A: "Yeah, man. I'm just really proud to be a part of AT&T during this March Madness. Obviously, March Madness guarantees all the thrillers and upsets that go on every single year, and AT&T Guarantee provides such a great service for the customers. It's amazing, I love it."
Q: Whose idea was it to do that commercial with you, Jalen, Donte, and Josh?
A: "Yeah, it was AT&T, man. They've been in the game, been dealing with March Madness for so long, and it's a good thing to get some guys that have dealt with March Madness. We each have a couple championships, so it was a smart thing for both sides."
Q: Staying on that topic, what sticks out to you the most about your guys' time at Villanova?
A: "Man, I think just how together we were through the ups and downs. You get so worried about the four or five games from Round One to the championship. A lot of people worry about just the tournament, but it's all the days before [too]. It's the summer sessions we were there, the preseason, the tough games we lost to teams that we should've beaten."
"All those things added up to get to where we got to. Being in that, a lot of people don't see the things that you go through. Obviously, the ups were great, but even the downs. You're not questioning your season, but you question how can you get better every single day. It's definitely a grind, and you're grateful when you think about those things after you win."
Q: And now with your Knicks tenure, how would you evaluate how your first season has gone so far?
A: "I think it's [been] okay, pretty good. I think it could always be better. But we've been showing great improvement throughout the year, so that's the thing I could take away. Just growing and knowing each other, you know. Nobody's in there with us every single day...Practice and understanding what we got to do to get better. I can see the growth from everybody as a team, and just trying to get better and keep stacking the right days."
Q: You've spent so much time with Josh and Jalen now from college to the pros. What's it been like to have that level of connection over the years?
A: "Yeah, it's good man. It's so natural and easy. Everybody's always asked 'How do you add this and that with them?' And I'm just like, 'I don't know, I don't really think about it too much.' I kinda just play, and obviously, all of our games have changed since college, but it's just like, I don't know...something you like or something you see. It's just the communication aspect that's probably the best thing because you've known each other for so long."
"So, you know, being able to communicate with each other and even being able to be in a situation where, you know, a lot of emotions are riled up and you're playing hard. You could get on somebody real hard and tell them to lock in or something, and they know it's never personal. It's just that we're all trying to win. Trying to help each other out, that's the biggest thing."
Q: How confident do you think the team has been in the offense recently without Jalen? Obviously, it's a huge adjustment. Can you take me through what that's been like?
A: "Yeah, I think everyone knows how much Jalen does for this team. Whenever he's out there, he's always efficient, always making the right plays. We're just trying to expand our offense a little bit, trying to hold it down for him and have other players grow, because when he does come back, he's gonna do his thing and do what he does. That's just who he is. So just trying to make it tougher for teams to guard all of us and make it easier for his life when he has the ball, so that they can't just load up and not let him score."
Q: Can we expect any more projects with you and AT&T going forward? Do you know any of that yet?
A: "I don't, but I hope so. It's been great to partner with them during March Madness, so just excited about it."
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 5:34 PM.