Mikal Bridges extended his NBA-leading active games played streak to 638 contests during the New York Knicks’ regular-season finale against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
However, the eight-year veteran did so in controversial fashion, logging just 23 seconds, leaving the NBA world less than impressed.
Mikal Bridges’ Historic Durability Called Into Question
Bridges has garnered a reputation as an iron man since entering the league in 2018, not missing a single game, despite his peers frequently managing their workloads.
The 29-year-old entered Sunday with the eighth-longest durability streak in NBA history and the longest among active players, but with nothing to play for against Charlotte, his services weren’t required.
Ahead of the contest, Knicks coach Mike Brown announced his intention to pull Bridges out of action immediately after his streak was extended, with New York entrenched as the Eastern Conference’s third seed (53-29).
“It’s crazy because load management is a real term,” Brown reacted to Bridges’ streak. “… And so, for a guy like that to be at the number he’s at in consecutive games played speaks volumes.”
After winning the opening jump ball, Bridges committed a foul on the Knicks’ first defensive possession of the evening, stopping play to exit with his streak intact and no other stats on the board besides his lone foul.
Mikal Bridges played in his 638th consecutive game and checked out 23 seconds in 😂
That’s the longest active streak in the NBA 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3hdIw8DUea
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 12, 2026
The tactic rubbed many on X the wrong way, especially considering that Bridges has logged similar seconds-long outings to close recent campaigns. This includes a six-second night in his final game of last season.
“We stopped caring about this streak when he started doing this scam a couple years ago,” NBA content creator @RaptorsShaq asserted.
We stopped caring about this streak when he started doing this scam a couple years ago https://t.co/4QBM6i8aHY
— Stevie (@RaptorsShaq) April 12, 2026
“Such a fraudulent record,” SM Highlights blasted Bridges.
Such a fraudulent record
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) April 12, 2026
“S**t SHOULD NOT count,” Wolves Lead claimed.
Shit SHOULD NOT count
— Wolves Lead (@TWolvesLead) April 12, 2026
“23 seconds? This shouldn’t even count, man, what are we doing? 😔 Hater Report questioned.
23 seconds? This shouldn’t even count man what are we doing? 😠https://t.co/kdbJPwkF6J
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 12, 2026
Despite his divisive yet eye-popping streak, Bridges is far off the all-time record of 1,192 consecutive games played by three-time NBA champion A.C. Green, which spanned from Nov. 19, 1986, until April 18, 2001.
Regardless, Bridges’ availability whenever called upon is a welcome luxury for the Knicks, who are looking to build on last season’s East finals run, the franchise’s first in 25 years.
New York begins this year’s postseason with a first-round matchup against the resurgent sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks (46-36), who finished the season on a 19-5 run behind their length, versatility, and standout defense.
As such, Bridges will likely be in store for an extensive playoff workload after essentially getting the night off in Sunday’s relatively meaningless 110-96 home loss.
