Mikal Bridges Plays 23 Seconds to Extend NBA's Longest Active Streak to 638 Games

Mikal Bridges played just 23 seconds in the New York Knicks’ game against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday to extend the NBA’s longest active streak of consecutive games played to 638. The streak, now the eighth-longest in league history, has never been broken since Bridges entered the league.

Bridges was the only Knicks starter to play in the game, as the team was already locked into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Coach Mike Brown allowed Bridges to play only long enough to extend the streak. Reserve Jordan Clarkson was ready to replace him before the opening tip. After the Knicks won the tip, Bridges committed a foul on the first defensive possession, prompting his immediate exit.

Before the game, Brown spoke on the significance of the streak. “It’s crazy because load management is a real term,” Brown said. “And that’s something that’s thought of by everybody, not just the medical performance group but by coaches, by individual players, by agents, by family members, and people get pushed to take time off for whatever reason. And so for a guy like that to be at the number he’s at in consecutive games played speaks volumes.”

Bridges moved past Andre Miller for the eighth-longest streak in NBA history. Five players still hold streaks above 700 games, with A.C. Green’s record of 1,192 games remaining the all-time high. The NBA Cup final does not count in the statistics, so Bridges would not have been credited with playing 83 games in an 82-game season.

Bridges appeared in 56 games with the Phoenix Suns in 2022-23 before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant. He played in all 27 of the Nets’ games after the trade and extended the streak by playing four seconds in the regular-season finale. He played six seconds in the final game of the 2024-25 season.

Eighteen players entered the final day of the regular season having played every game. Charlotte’s Sion James was also set to play in his 82nd game of the season Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks will now turn their attention to the playoffs, where the streak will continue to be a point of focus as Bridges remains a key part of the roster.