Pregnant at 19, our guest today, Tyneeha Rivers, mother of Mikal Bridges, starting guard with the Phoenix Suns, talks about what it was like to face motherhood at such a young age, how her determination to be a success changed her life and what she’s done to ensure her son had what it took to also be successful, overcoming the negativity and the challenges to rise to the top in the world of elite athletes.
As a Chief Human Resources officer for over 20 years, her focus now is player recruitment and Tyneeha describes herself as a “culture builder” creating an environment where employees thrive and can be their best authentic selves. She talks about how her skillset helped her and Mikal decide on a college career with the Villanova Wildcats, where he won two national championships, before declaring and being chosen 10th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the 76ers, their home team, and the emotional rollercoaster when he was traded to the Suns that same night.
We talk about when Mikal redshirted in college through to the excitement and drama of draft night and now seeing him play in the NBA, guarding players like Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James. Wendy and Tyneeha talk about their sisterhood of NBA moms, the support they give to one another, and what it’s like to be a Court-Side Mom.