In the NBA’s “Load Management Era,” it’s exceedingly rare for players to appear in all 82 regular season games. In fact, only five players accomplished that feat in 2021-22.
One of the five was Suns wing Mikal Bridges, who also led the league in minutes played (2,854). Remarkably, the 25-year-old iron man hasn’t logged a single NBA absence since arriving as a first-round pick in 2018, appearing in 331 straight games for Phoenix. If you include his three-year stint at Villanova (where he won two National Championships), Bridges’ games played streak is up to 447.
With stars afforded more rest than ever, often sitting out the second game of back-to-backs, grinders in Bridges’ mold are few and far between. In addition to averaging a career-high 14.2 points per game, the 6’6” forward has also been a standout defensively, emerging as a leading candidate for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. His Suns, owners of the league’s best record at 64-18, will host the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed—which will be determined by this week’s “play-in” tournament—when their first-round series begins Sunday in Phoenix.
Warriors big Kevon Looney, Dwight Powell of the Mavericks, Wizards forward Deni Avdija and Detroit’s Saddiq Bey (also of Villanova) were the other four players to suit up in 82 games this season.
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