Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman, a star of the 1975 Louisville Ultimate 4 staff and 12-season NBA veteran whose enterprise ventures after basketball made him a billionaire, has died at 71.
Per the Louisville Courier-Journal, Bridgeman suffered a medical occasion throughout a fundraiser on the Galt Home Resort in downtown Louisville on Tuesday. His loss of life was confirmed to the Courier-Journal by the Al J. Schneider Firm, which owns the Galt Home. Particulars of his loss of life, together with a trigger, weren’t instantly clear.
The Milwaukee Bucks, with whom Bridgeman performed for 9 NBA seasons, issued an announcement Tuesday night with condolences to Bridgeman’s household.
We’re shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Bucks legend and proprietor Junior Bridgeman. We ship our deepest condolences to his household. pic.twitter.com/XakoTcDeF5
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 11, 2025
“Junior’s retired No. 2 jersey hangs within the Fiserv Discussion board, serving as a relentless remembrance of his excellent play on the court docket and his affect on the Bucks’ success,” the Bucks’ assertion reads.
“His onerous work and perseverance led him to change into one of many nation’s prime enterprise leaders and, final September, Junior’s skilled life got here full circle when he returned to the Bucks household as an proprietor. His reminiscence will at all times be an inspiration to the Bucks group.”
Bridgeman performed three seasons for Louisville from 1972-75 as one of many program’s all-time greats. A 6-foot-5 wing, Bridgeman was named to the All-MVC staff in every of this three seasons and was a two-time MVC Participant of the 12 months.
Bridgeman led Louisville to the 1975 Ultimate 4, the place the Cardinals misplaced in additional time to UCLA, which went on to safe John Picket’s tenth and remaining NCAA title. Bridgeman averaged 15.5 factors, 7.6 rebounds and three assists throughout his three seasons at Louisville.
Bridgeman was the No. 8 decide of the 1975 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers then traded Bridgeman to the Bucks within the deal to accumulate Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. Bridgeman performed his first 9 seasons with the Bucks earlier than a two-year stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. He performed one remaining season in Milwaukee earlier than retiring from the NBA in 1987.
For his profession, Bridgeman averaged 13.6 factors, 3.5 rebounds and a couple of.4 assists. The Bucks retired his No. 2 jersey. Bridgeman returned to the Bucks as a 10% owner of the franchise in 2024.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued an announcement Tuesday upon Bridgeman’s loss of life.
“I’m devastated to study of the sudden passing of Junior Bridgeman,” Silver’s assertion reads. “Junior was the last word entrepreneur who constructed on his impactful 12-year NBA taking part in profession by changing into a extremely revered and profitable enterprise chief.
He served as a mentor to generations of NBA gamers and athletes throughout sports activities who have been desperate to study from him about what it takes to thrive within the enterprise world. Junior was a devoted member of the NBA household for 50 years – most just lately as a minority proprietor of the Milwaukee Bucks, an investor in NBA Africa and as a participant who set the usual for representing the league and our sport with class and dignity.”
After basketball, Bridgeman launched into a number of profitable enterprise ventures that began with the acquisition of three Wendy’s fast-food franchises. Per the Courier-Journal, Bridgeman went on to change into one of many nation’s largest restaurant franchise operators and expanded his enterprise to possession of a Coca-Cola bottling operation.
In 2020, Bridgeman bought Jet and Ebony magazines together with his daughter Eden Bridgeman Sklenar for $14 million and helped revive the publications from chapter as a digital operation. Sklenar is the CEO of the publications.
In February, Forbes estimated Bridgeman’s net worth at $1.4 billion. Bridgeman is survived by his spouse, Doris, and his three kids, Eden, Justin and Ryan.
