One of the most incredible stories that the NBA has produced is the historic rise of former Milwaukee Bucks player Junior Bridgeman, who passed away at the age of 71 on Tuesday after suffering a medical emergency. Bridgeman had a remarkable journey that elevated him to one of the premier businessmen in the world and a beacon of hope and mentor for young Black entrepreneurs.
The Bucks released a statement on the passing of Junior Bridgeman:
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Bucks legend and owner Junior Bridgeman…
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..
We are heartbroken by Junior’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his entire family and all those close to him.”
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
Junior Bridgeman Went From NBA Player To Billionaire Mogul
Former NBA baller Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman may be most known for his time as an NBA player in the 70s and 80s with the Bucks. He had a solid 12-year career in the league playing most of it in “Cream City”, where they retired his No. 2 jersey in 1988.
Bridgeman was originally drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers but was shipped to the Bucks in the blockbuster Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade. Bridgeman came off the bench for most of his career but was able to average 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game. Bridgeman made about $350,000 in his final season, but that was before one supermax contract could set a player up for life.
Bridgeman, who never made more than $350K in the NBA, always had a pension for business and during the NBA off-season, he would study and learn the business model of Wendy’s fast-food restaurant franchise.
Following his retirement from the NBA, he invested in the franchise and eventually became the owner of over 160 Wendy’s and 120 Chili’s restaurants before cashing out in 2016. He leaves an empire worth more than $1B to his family. Some reports confirm him as a “self-made” billionaire.
Shaquille O’Neal Patterned His $500 Empire After His Mentor Junior Bridgeman
Bridgeman didn’t keep his connections and knowledge to himself. His mentorship and enviable success helped Shaquille O’Neal along the way to achieve his current net worth of $500M.
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Shaq spoke about the loss of Bridgeman during NBA on TNT, prior to the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers game. Shaq spoke about the influence the former NBA player turned business tycoon had on Big Diesel’s life.
“This one really hit hard for me,” Shaq said. “A Lot of people don’t know this, but I patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman. I never wanted to (go broke). I remember when the Forbes list came out and I saw his name. I reached out to him, and we started talking…He had Wendy’s. I started Big Chicken (franchise). Pepsi…Coke…So everything he did I tried to pattern after him I actually talked to him the other day. We were getting ready to do business, so my condolences go out to his partner Charles and his family and daughter and son. I get a lot of credit for doing this and doing that but if it wasn’t for Bridgeman, I wouldn’t have known where to start.”
Shaq mourned the passing of his mentor and friend Junior Bridgeman who died at age 71 on Tuesday. Bridgeman played for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA and became a business mogul in retirement, a self-made billionaire who mentored Shaq.
“He gave me all his secrets. He opened the book for me. Thats how I got into Papa John’s also”
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Junior Bridgeman Used His Money To Break Corporate Barriers: He Saved Ebony Magazine
As the President and CEO of Bridgeman Foods Inc, in 2017 Bridgeman landed a deal to become the official bottler for The Coca-Cola Company. He didn’t stop there as in 2018 he signed a letter of intent to buy bottling operations in Canada.
Bridgeman is a living example of how an athlete utilizes the benefits of his physical talents to forge a greater existence, make connections, and expand their economic potential. His NBA career was formidable and provided him the financial foundation to become an all-star player in the business world.
His last culturally-impact venture in media was adding the famed Ebony magazine to his incredible portfolio in 2020.
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With Bridgeman Sports and Media, a company also owned by the retired Bucks player, he was awarded the successful bid to buy the bankrupt Ebony Media assets which also houses the legendary magazine. He believes he can return the magazine to profitability with the right ideas and the right folks to execute those ideas.
What Is Ebony Magazine?
Ebony spent the first 72 years (1945-2017) of existence in Chicago, Bridgeman a native of East Chicago, Indiana grew up roughly 30 miles from “ChiTown” and believes the magazine can return to its glory days on the “Chicago River”. The magazine was launched as an influential monthly lifestyle magazine that documented the African-American experience for better than seven decades.
The magazine was too slow in adopting an advanced digital platform in a fast-changing media world. Bridgeman also attempted to buy Sports Illustrated in 2019, but subsequently stopped his efforts and it was sold for $110M to Authentic Brands Group.
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Junior Bridgeman is “Black Excellence” and entrepreneurial excellence at its core, and he should be honored as such. He’s a blueprint on how pro athletes transition to life after basketball.
