Draft prospect Miles Bridges had the rare opportunity to seek career advice from the King of the NBA.
The 6-foot-7 Michigan State forward took advantage of the fact LeBron James is part of the same agency Bridges signed with in late March. Bridges reached out for some tips on how to succeed in something he’s been dreaming about since childhood.
“I asked him how does he take care of his body so good,” Bridges, projected to be picked in the teens in the first round in Thursday’s NBA draft, said Wednesday at the pre-draft media day. “He’s in his 15th year, playing the most minutes. So I just asked him how he took care of his body.”
Bridges said James, whom he considers his No. 1 role model, did in fact give him some insight on how to maintain the necessary physical condition to have a lengthy NBA career.
Joining Klutch Sports under agent Rich Paul has been a learning experience for the 20-year-old Bridges, who is coming off two seasons under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo. Aside from James, Bridges has developed relationships with players such as J.R. Smith and John Wall.
To Bridges, these NBA stars are his friends, ones he watches games with at their homes.
“It’s definitely been great for me. It’s kind of like Michigan State, it’s a brotherhood,” Bridges said. “Everybody inside that agency knows each other, they mess with each other and that’s the type of stuff that I like.”
Paul, who founded Klutch Sports in 2012, lent his and his agency’s knowledge of the NBA to Bridges as he ventured through several workouts in the weeks leading up to the draft.
The night before his workout with the Knicks, Bridges found himself at a dinner table with the team’s general manager, Scott Perry, and other notable members of the organization. Although Bridges said he generally knew “what to do and what not to do,” having Paul to turn to was helpful.
“He definitely gives me good advice, because he’s been around the game for so long,” Bridges said. “Just how to carry myself, little dinner tips, and sitting at the table.”
During his Knicks workout, Bridges went toe-to-toe with fellow NBA prospect Kevin Knox. Though The Post reported Knox outplayed Bridges, the Michigan native said the competitive atmosphere was just how he liked it.
“Whenever me and Kevin step on the floor — or anybody — it’s going to be competitive,” Bridges said. “It pushed both of us to play better, it pushed all of us in the three-on-three.
“I love competitiveness, I love just bringing the energy and intensity all that type of stuff.”
Bridges said the Knicks’ workout was the most competitive and most challenging of all the teams he visited. He said the three-on-three atmosphere is more competitive and better than individual workouts in which teams “try to tire you out.”
With James’ advice on how to prolong his career, Bridges should know just how to avoid ever tiring out.