Tyneeha Rivers rivers raised Mikal Bridges as a single mom

NEED TO KNOW

• Mikal Bridges was born to Tyneeha Rivers and Jack Bridges in 1996
• Rivers raised the NBA star in Philadelphia as a single mom
• She has found success as a human resources professional and entrepreneur

New York Knicks star Mikal Bridges was raised by a single mother who helped pave his path to the NBA.

Mikal was born in 1996 to Tyneeha Rivers and Jack Bridges. Rivers raised Mikal in the Philadelphia area as a single mother. He also has three brothers: Eric, Jack and Korey, per Mikal's college bio.

Rivers was still in college when she became pregnant with Mikal and has spoken openly about the criticism she faced from friends and family. Undeterred, she worked full-time, attended classes at night and raised her son, determined to earn her degree and build a successful career.

"I was determined to prove that not only was I going to be successful, but I also was going to set my son up for success," Rivers said on Court-Side Moms in June 2021. "It was definitely some really tough times that have shaped me to be the professional that I am and the mother that I am."

Rivers later said she worked to "inject" that same drive in her son — and the lessons stuck. Mikal developed into a standout basketball player, starring at Villanova before being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. He has since emerged as one of the league's top players and helped lead the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA Finals.

"Basketball moms are great. They do a lot. They're usually the ones with the cars packed with all your friends in there to take you to the games," Mikal told 6ABC Philadelphia in July 2021. "I'm just happy that my mom is one of the great moms, and I'm just blessed."

Here's everything to know about Mikal Bridges' mom, Tyneeha Rivers.

Rivers was 19 when she got pregnant with Mikal

Rivers was 19 and in college when she learned she was pregnant with Mikal. In a July 2022 interview with Essence, she recalled the difficult phone call she had to make to her parents.

"The level of disappointment my parents had was almost crippling because they wanted more for me," Rivers said. "They did not want me to be just another statistic."

As one of the first people in her family to attend college, Rivers felt the weight of those expectations. Her father, a Marine whom she described as "very stern," made it clear that she would need to take responsibility for her future.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Rivers recalled. "He literally said to me, 'This is on you.' He told me I needed to figure it out — to not return home."

Though the conversation was painful, Rivers now sees it as a turning point.

"Looking back, I know that's what I needed to hear to push forward because I didn't give myself the option to fail from that moment on," she said.

She raised Mikal as a single mother

Rivers welcomed Mikal on Aug. 30, 1996, but she didn't let motherhood derail her goals. While raising him as a single parent, she worked full-time and attended college classes at night.

"My son says that he is who he is now because he never saw me give up," she told Essence.

She works in human resources

It took Rivers 10 years to earn her degree in business administration, but her perseverance paid off. She went on to build an impressive career in human resources, holding leadership roles at Merrill Lynch, the Philadelphia 76ers, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and the YMCA before becoming Chief People Officer at Curaleaf, per LinkedIn.

In 2024, Rivers launched her own firm, Nova Dawn HR Consulting Partners, where she now serves as founder and CEO. She also owns Nova Dawn Yoga & Pilates in Philadelphia, which opened in July 2025.

Jack attended his son's college basketball games

Mikal was in elementary school when Rivers first began to see his potential.

"People probably thought I was legit crazy because I was saying he was [bound for the NBA] in the second grade," she said on Court-Side Moms. "He had a God-given talent. He was different from most kids, and I would hear that from parents and referees."

By high school, Mikal was juggling football and basketball. Rivers encouraged him to focus on one sport if he wanted to play at the collegiate level. He chose basketball and went on to play at Villanova.

Although Rivers raised Mikal, Jack remained close with his son, as he told the New York Post in June 2018. He attended his home games through Mikal's career at Villanova.

“I just always felt he had that shooting ability coming out of high school,'' Jack told the outlet. “But he plays the right way … He's always had it, but he always worked at it.”

After Mikal's final NCAA March Madness tournament, Rivers, Jack and Mikal's three brothers took a moment to reflect on his college career.

“It was so wonderful,'' Jack said. “Mikal was super exhausted but took the moment to reflect on his career, took it all in. I told him you're always going to look back on this that you won two national championships, a really major accomplishment. When the dust settles in his career, I always want him to reflect on it and appreciate what he did. It's not something done all the time. Sometimes young kids don't understand the magnitude of what they accomplished at the time.''

Rivers played a key role in Mikal's journey to the NBA

When it came time to consider the NBA, Rivers had one condition: Finish college first. "Getting that degree just meant so much to me, and I wanted that for him," she said.

Mikal honored his mother's request, earning his degree before declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 10 overall pick — a particularly meaningful moment given that Rivers was serving as the organization's vice president of human resources.

"It's amazing. It's an experience I'll never forget. I'm so excited. He's coming home to be a part of our 76ers family," Rivers told ESPN on draft night.

But what seemed like a perfect ending quickly took a turn. Later that night, the 76ers traded Mikal to the Phoenix Suns.

"It was truly an emotional rollercoaster," Rivers told 6ABC Philadelphia in July 2021. "At the end of the day, it was for the best, and look where he is now."

Mikal spent five seasons with the Suns, helping lead the franchise to the 2021 NBA Finals before spending two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. He was traded to the New York Knicks in 2024 and helped guide the team to the 2026 NBA Finals.

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