NYT SPORT: How a Trade Changed Everything for Two N.B.A. Players and Their Dogs
By Tania Ganguli
Section: Sports
Source: New York Times
So it fell to Cameron Payne, one of Bridges’s close friends on the Suns, to break the news to their dogs, who are best pals, or so their owners say. The moment called for compassion and candor, and Payne brought both.
Bridges’s dog, Sonny, is a yellow Labrador retriever. Payne’s dog, Uno, is a 25-pound French bulldog. They were lazing around Bridges’s house in Phoenix when Payne approached them. He addressed his comments mainly to Sonny, whose routine would be most disrupted.
“Man,” Payne recalled telling the dog, “Uno’s staying, and, Sonny, I think you’re leaving.”
Sonny and Uno seemed to consider this, or perhaps had no idea what was going on.
Payne told Sonny, “Mikal said he wanted you out there. Mikal’s leaving. He got traded.”
He tried to reassure the dog: “You and Uno are still going to be best friends forever.”
“He looked at me crazy,” Payne recalled. “It just made me laugh. I was like, they really humans for real. They know exactly what we’re saying.”
The trade brought Kevin Durant to the Suns, transforming them into championship contenders, and offered a professional upside for Bridges, who will have a bigger role on the Nets.
But trades can be hard on N.B.A. players, who often develop close friendships during long hours together on the court and on the road. Bridges and Payne lived in the same neighborhood in Phoenix. They hung out at one another’s homes. They talked about their schedules and the best shoe insoles and what they saw on Instagram.
So when Bridges was traded away on Feb. 9 while the Suns were in Atlanta, Payne went straight to his friend’s hotel room and said an emotional goodbye.
By Tania Ganguli
Section: Sports
Source: New York Times
Professional sports can be a tough business. When Mikal Bridges was dealt from the Suns to the Nets, his friend Cam Payne had to give the news to Sonny and Uno.
When Mikal Bridges was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Nets in early February, he had to join his new team without stopping at home in Arizona first.So it fell to Cameron Payne, one of Bridges’s close friends on the Suns, to break the news to their dogs, who are best pals, or so their owners say. The moment called for compassion and candor, and Payne brought both.
Bridges’s dog, Sonny, is a yellow Labrador retriever. Payne’s dog, Uno, is a 25-pound French bulldog. They were lazing around Bridges’s house in Phoenix when Payne approached them. He addressed his comments mainly to Sonny, whose routine would be most disrupted.
“Man,” Payne recalled telling the dog, “Uno’s staying, and, Sonny, I think you’re leaving.”
Sonny and Uno seemed to consider this, or perhaps had no idea what was going on.
Payne told Sonny, “Mikal said he wanted you out there. Mikal’s leaving. He got traded.”
He tried to reassure the dog: “You and Uno are still going to be best friends forever.”
“He looked at me crazy,” Payne recalled. “It just made me laugh. I was like, they really humans for real. They know exactly what we’re saying.”
The trade brought Kevin Durant to the Suns, transforming them into championship contenders, and offered a professional upside for Bridges, who will have a bigger role on the Nets.
But trades can be hard on N.B.A. players, who often develop close friendships during long hours together on the court and on the road. Bridges and Payne lived in the same neighborhood in Phoenix. They hung out at one another’s homes. They talked about their schedules and the best shoe insoles and what they saw on Instagram.
So when Bridges was traded away on Feb. 9 while the Suns were in Atlanta, Payne went straight to his friend’s hotel room and said an emotional goodbye.
Published Date: February 27, 2023 at 02:00AM
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/sports/basketball/nba-suns-dogs-payne-bridges.html
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