Junior Bridgeman, businessman and
basketball standout for Louisville and Milwaukee Bucks, dies at 71
[March 12, 2025]
By BRUCE SCHREINER
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Junior Bridgeman, a basketball standout who
led Louisville to a Final Four, starred for the NBA's Milwaukee
Bucks and then launched an even more successful career as a
businessman with stakes in restaurants, publishing and the Bucks
franchise, died Tuesday. He was 71.
Bridgeman was a popular fixture in Louisville after his playing
days, and Mayor Craig Greenberg announced his death, saying the city
had “lost a kind, generous and groundbreaking legend.”
"He was an All-American at U of L ... and a self-made billionaire,"
Greenberg said in a statement. “Yet I will most remember Junior
Bridgeman for his quiet, impactful assistance to others in need” as
well as his love for his family and his “never-ending support for
our community.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, praised his friend as a
highly successful businessman and generous philanthropist who loved
his alma mater and “the city he called home.”
According to media reports, Bridgeman suffered a medical emergency
at a Louisville hotel during a fundraising event Tuesday.
Tributes poured in for a man who excelled on the hardwood and in
corporate boardrooms.
“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, a native of East Chicago, Indiana, played for Hall of
Fame coach Denny Crum at Louisville. In three seasons, he scored
1,348 points, grabbed 657 rebounds and in his senior season led the
Cardinals to the 1975 Final Four, where they lost to eventual
national champion UCLA in a 75-74 thriller.
Bridgeman was involved in one of the biggest trades in NBA history
at the start of his professional career. After the Los Angeles
Lakers selected Bridgeman with the eighth pick in the 1975 draft,
they sent him to Milwaukee as part of the trade that brought Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar to the West Coast.
Bridgeman’s 711 games played for Milwaukee ranks third in franchise
history, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. His
No. 2 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1988.
“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.”
The Bucks announced Bridgeman had bought a stake in the team last
year at a news conference that included co-owner Jimmy Haslam, coach
Doc Rivers, general manager Jon Horst and many players. Bridgeman
said afterward he had a 10% stake.
“The opportunity to get back involved with the team in a different
way and take advantage of it was something that was kind of a
dream,” Bridgeman said at the time.
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Seattle's Gus Williams holds Milwaukee's Junior Bridgeman's hand as
they walk off the court following the Supersonics' 86-85 victory in
NBA playoff action, April 19, 1980 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Steve
Pyle, File)
Prior to Milwaukee's game Tuesday night, Rivers
said Bridgeman was a strong role model.
“Think about that kid growing up, wanting to be an NBA player,
probably his dream, and he turned that dream into becoming an NBA
owner,” Rivers said. “He is the exact model the league should use
every day when they are talking to our young players.”
Bridgeman played for the Bucks from 1975-84 and then spent two years
with the Los Angeles Clippers before coming back to Milwaukee for
his final NBA season in 1986-87. He scored 11,517 points (averaging
13.6 per game) in his career. He ranks seventh in Bucks history in
field goals (4,142), ninth in points (9,892) and 10th in minutes
(18,054).
After his playing days, Bridgeman turned that same drive into a
successful business career.
“While his play on the court was exceptional, it was as a leader in
the business community that Junior truly excelled,” University of
Louisville President Kim Schatzel said in a statement.
Bridgeman was a longtime franchisee for Wendy’s and Chili’s
restaurants, at one time operating more than 450 locations in 20
states, the university said. He became a bottler for Coca-Cola and
bought Ebony and Jet magazines, the school said.
“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,” retired Los
Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson wrote on X. “What people don't
realize is Junior didn't make a fortune as a player, but he turned
what he earned into something extraordinary, becoming a billionaire
African American businessman in this country.”
Bridgeman was part of the foursome that owns Valhalla Golf Club in
Louisville. He also served on the boards of Churchill Downs
racetrack, the University of Louisville and Fifth Third Bank, among
others. He and his wife, Doris, hosted a Kentucky Derby party that
served as a fundraiser.
“He is the blueprint to so many current and former athletes across
sports that success doesn't end when you're done playing,” Johnson
wrote.
Besides his wife, he is survived by children Eden, Justin and Ryan.
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