Miles Bridges is turning pro.
The Michigan State basketball star announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he will bypass his final two seasons in college to enter the 2018 NBA draft. Bridges said he plans to sign with Klutch Sports and agent Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James.
“God couldn’t have placed me in a better place for these last two years,” Bridges wrote. “I wanna thank Coach Izzo and the rest of the coaching staff for giving a skinny kid from Flint a chance to play at such a legendary program. I would like to thank the academic support for helping me out everyday. I also want to thank Spartan Nation for welcoming me with open arms into their community and school. And last but not least I would like to thank my teammates for the bond and memories that we will share for a lifetime.
“I will be a (Spartan) for life no matter what!!”
Bridges, a projected lottery pick, is the first MSU player to turn pro early since Gary Harris left following the 2013-14 season. Tom Izzo’s other players to leave early were Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph in 2001, Marcus Taylor in 2002, Erazem Lorbek in 2003 and Shannon Brown in 2006.
A 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, Bridges was a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection and earned consensus second-team All-America honors from The Associated Press, The U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, The Sporting News and USA Today.
This season, Bridges averaged 17.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range in 31.4 minutes per game.
Bridges is a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which will be announced April 6 and goes to the nation’s best small forward. He also was one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy, given to the nation's best player.
MSU is still waiting on the decision of freshman forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who is projected as a potential top-5 pick if he declares for the NBA draft. He has until April 22 to make his decision.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!