Junior Bridgeman, who starred for the Milwaukee Bucks, developed into a billionaire entrepreneur when his playing days concluded and came full circle when he became a minority owner of the team prior to the start of the current NBA season, died on Tuesday at the age of 71.
The Louisville Courier Journal reported that Bridgeman died after suffering a medical emergency during a fundraising event at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville.
Bridgeman was one of the NBA’s top players off the bench in his 10-season tenure with the Bucks from 1975-84 and 1986-87. Bridgeman’s 711 games played for the Bucks ranks third in franchise history, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
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Bridgeman was involved in one of the biggest trades in NBA history. After the Lakers selected Bridgeman with the eighth pick in the 1975 draft, they traded him to the Bucks as part of a deal that sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Los Angeles. The move came four years after Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, led the Bucks to their first NBA title. The Bucks wouldn’t win another crown until an Antetokounmpo-led squad won it all in 2021.
The ninth-leading scorer in franchise history. Bridgeman had his No. 2 jersey retired by the Bucks in 1988. It hangs in the rafters of Fiserv Forum, which the team said in statement on Tuesday serves “as a constant remembrance of his outstanding play on the court and his impact on the Bucks’ success.”
A native of East Chicago, Indiana, Bridgeman also played two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. He returned to Milwaukee for one final season and retired following the 1986-87 campaign. He then launched a career in business that would make him one of the wealthiest retired athletes in the world. Bridgeman began investing in restaurants and eventually became owner and CEO of Bridgeman Foods, which once operated more than 450 Wendy’s and Chili’s restaurants in 20 states, including Wisconsin. Bridgeman Foods also acquired Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co., making Bridgeman an independent bottler for Coca-Cola in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. He also owned Ebony and Jet magazines.
“His hard work and perseverance led him to become one of the nation’s top business leaders and, last September, Junior’s professional life came full circle when he returned to the Bucks family as an owner,” the Bucks said in a statement. “His memory will always be an inspiration to the Bucks organization.”
We are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Bucks legend and owner Junior Bridgeman. We send our deepest condolences to his family. pic.twitter.com/XakoTcDeF5
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 11, 2025
Bridgeman became part of the team’s ownership group when he took a 10% stake in the team in a deal announced in September 2024. He joined co-owners Wes Edens, Dee and Jimmy Haslam, Jamie Dinan and Mike Fiscitelli.
“I’m overjoyed to return to the Bucks, where I spent the heart of my NBA playing career, to join their world-class ownership group,” Bridgeman said at the time. “I hope that my life journey serves as an inspiration to current and future players who dream of joining an NBA ownership group. I look forward to cheering the Bucks on this season alongside our great fans.”
Bridgeman, who played college basketball at Louisville, was part of the beloved and highly competitive Bucks teams in the 1980s under head coach Don Nelson that included Marques Johnson (the team’s current television analyst), Sidney Moncrief, Bob Lanier, Paul Pressey, Brian Winters, Alton Lister and Paul Mokeski, among others.
The Bucks won 60 games in 1980-81 and won at least 50 games in seven consecutive seasons. The Bucks reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1983, 1984 and 1986 but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers once and the Boston Celtics twice.
In a post on X, long-time basketball columnist Peter Vecsey said the Bucks squad of that era “may be the best team in NBA history never to make The Finals.”
The Bucks teams of Lanier, Moncrief, Marques, Bridgeman, Pressey, Lister & more may be the best team in NBA history never to make The Finals. Getting past Philly & Boston in the East proved impossible…
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) March 11, 2025
Tributes poured in for a beloved and respected figure who excelled on the basketball court and in the business world.
“Junior was the ultimate entrepreneur who built on his impactful 12-year NBA playing career by becoming a highly respected and successful business leader,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He served as a mentor to generations of NBA players and athletes across sports who were eager to learn from him about what it takes to thrive in the business world.”
Bridgeman never earned more than $350,000 in a single season in the NBA but built a net worth of $1.4 billion, according to Forbes.
Charles Barkley, a former star in the NBA and a current television analyst, once referred to Bridgeman as “one of the greatest stories ever.”
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Bridgeman is “the exact model that the league should use every day when they’re talking to our young players.”
“You should really want to be like Junior,” Rivers said. “Tough day. Just really a tough day. I’m really blessed. There’s a lot of benefits for me coming back to Milwaukee that I didn’t anticipate. I had no idea that Junior was going to get back into the Bucks and be an owner. Then we restart a relationship. We stayed in contact still throughout the years but I didn’t talk to him a lot. Then, all of a sudden, he’s back. People say seize the day and all this stuff. The last conversation I had with junior was about using him to mentor the young players and trying to figure out a way of doing that. We never got to it because you thought there was time.”
NBA Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Bridgeman battled on the court.
“I had the privilege of playing against him, and I’ll never forget how he had one of the sweetest jump shots in the NBA,” Johnson posted on social media. “But it was his character, his kindness, and his gentle soul that truly left a lasting impression on me. He was one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet.”
Johnson went on to note Bridgeman’s incredible business success story and how it should serve as an inspiration for all young athletes.
“You spent so much of your post-playing career mentoring and educating athletes and I always reference your journey when I speak to young athletes about transitioning from the court or field to the boardroom,” Johnson posted on X. “Your legacy will transcend beyond your financial success to the doors you opened for so many and inspiring generations to come.”
Former NBA superstar and current television sports analyst Shaquille O’Neal, who has also found considerable success in the business world, shared thoughts about his relationship with Bridgeman on the TNT set on Tuesday night.
“He was definitely somebody I looked up to,” O’Neal said. “If it wasn’t for Bridgeman, I wouldn’t have known where to start. This one hit hard.”
Bridgeman is survived by his wife, Doris, and children Eden, Justin and Ryan.
