Junior Bridgeman was a former NBA player who went on to become a successful entrepreneur, owner of Ebony and Jet magazines, and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Died: March 11, 2025 (Who else died on March 11?)
- Details of death: Died in Louisville, Kentucky of a heart attack at the age of 71.
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Junior Bridgeman’s legacy
Bridgeman had a successful 12-year career in the NBA, spending most of that time with the Milwaukee Bucks, but his greater success came after his playing days were over and he entered the world of business.
Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Bridgeman was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at University of Louisville, helping to push the Cardinals’ basketball squad to the Final Four of the 1975 NCAA Division I tournament. His impact on the court made him a first-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Lakers, who traded him and three others to the Bucks just weeks later.
As a basketball pro, Bridgeman played from 1975 to 1987, all but two of those seasons with the Bucks; he also played for the Los Angeles Clippers from 1984 to 1986. Averaging double-digit points for nine straight seasons, he was hailed as one of the era’s great “Sixth Men,” and he served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 1985 to 1988.
After his playing years were over, Bridgeman switched focus to business and became a huge success as a result. He was considered one of the wealthiest ex-players in the world. Before selling in 2016, he owned over 100 Wendy’s and Chili’s locations. He founded Bridgeman Foods Inc. in 2017 and became a Coca-Cola bottler, and in 2020 he saved Ebony and Jet magazines when he purchased them after they’d declared bankruptcy. He also co-founded the investment firm Manna Capital Partners, among other business pursuits.
In September 2024, he merged his love of basketball and business when he purchased a 10 percent interest in the Bucks, his former team. His No. 2 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1988.
Bridgeman is in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, and Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, among many accolades. A stretch of Grace Street in East Chicago is named in his honor.
Tributes to Junior Bridgeman
Full obituary: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
