Lots of responses

Late this summer, Charlotte Hornets rookie Miles Bridges asked his 238K followers on Instagram—particularly those living in his new city—for a favor: Could they recommend places to worship here?

This is still a layup for Charlotte, right? We’ve long been a city that’s had pride in its deep and diverse faith community.

So how’d we do with Miles Bridges?

“It was good,” he told me last week after a practice. “I got a lot of responses—about 25 churches.”

He’s unafraid to talk about his faith—“My relationship with God has always been the No. 1 thing in my life,” he told me—both in interviews and social media.

That’s a good thing. Bridges is showing signs of becoming the next big star in Charlotte on the basketball court, which means he could become something more off it, if he wants. People who know him here and from Michigan State, where he starred for two years, tell me he’s genuine and has a deep spirituality that will resonate with folks in his new city.

Will Miles Bridges be that kind of athlete in Charlotte? Maybe, maybe not. He’s sorting out a lot of things right now. Like what kind of basketball player he can become. And what kind of life he’ll have in his new city. It’s a lot like any young person starting a new chapter in a new place.

“Some people don’t realize it, but athletes are regular people, too,” Bridges says. Multi-dimensional. They care about things. They go to church. Maybe you’ll see him at yours.