Junior Bridgeman facts for kids

Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman (born September 17, 1953 – died March 11, 2025) was an American businessman and a professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers from 1975 to 1987. After his basketball career, Junior Bridgeman became a very successful businessman. He even owned Ebony and Jet magazines. Even though he didn't earn huge salaries as a player, he became one of the richest former athletes in the world!

Early Life and High School Basketball

Junior Bridgeman was born in East Chicago, Indiana. He went to Washington High School. In 1971, his high school basketball team had an amazing season. They won every game (29–0) and became the Indiana state high school basketball champions. His brother Sam was also on that team.

College Basketball Career

Junior Bridgeman was a tall player, about 6 feet 5 inches. He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team at the University of Louisville. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice, in 1974 and 1975.

As a junior, he led the Louisville Cardinals to the 1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament. In his senior year, he helped his team reach the Final Four of the 1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament. They lost a very close game to UCLA, who later became the national champions. During his time at Louisville, Bridgeman averaged 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks (1975–1984)

The Los Angeles Lakers picked Junior Bridgeman as the eighth player overall in the 1975 NBA draft. However, he was soon traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. This trade happened on June 16, 1975. The Bucks received Bridgeman and three other players. In return, the Lakers got the famous player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In his first season with Milwaukee (1975–1976), Bridgeman averaged 8.6 points per game. The next season, a new coach, Don Nelson, joined the team. Bridgeman's performance improved, and he averaged 14.4 points per game. On December 15, 1976, he scored a career-high 41 points in a game against the Boston Celtics.

Coach Nelson often used Bridgeman as a key player who came off the bench. The Bucks were a very strong team during these years. They won their division titles many times, including in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984.

Playing for the Los Angeles Clippers (1984–1986)

After playing nine seasons in Milwaukee, Bridgeman was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1984. He played for the Clippers for two seasons. On January 29, 1985, he scored 30 points in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Returning to the Milwaukee Bucks (1986–1987)

After his time in Los Angeles, Junior Bridgeman came back to the Milwaukee Bucks for one more season. He retired from basketball in 1987. He played 711 games for the Bucks, which was the most in the team's history at that time. This record was later broken by Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2023.

Overall NBA Career

Junior Bridgeman was known as a "sixth man" for most of his career. This means he often came off the bench instead of starting, but he was still a very important player. He scored double figures (10 points or more) in nine seasons in a row. Some people think he would have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award many times if it had existed earlier.

In his 12 years in the NBA, Bridgeman played 849 games. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He also served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association from 1985 to 1988.

Entrepreneurial Career and Business Success

Even while he was playing basketball, Junior Bridgeman was thinking about his future. During the off-seasons, he worked at Wendy's fast food restaurants to learn how the business worked. After he retired from the NBA, he invested in Wendy's franchises. Over time, he owned more than 100 Wendy's and Chili's restaurants! He sold these businesses in 2016.

In 2016, Forbes magazine said Bridgeman was one of the wealthiest retired athletes in the world. He was ranked behind famous athletes like Michael Jordan and David Beckham.

As the head of Bridgeman Foods Inc., he became a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company in 2017. In 2018, he planned to buy more bottling operations in Canada.

In 2020, Bridgeman's company, Bridgeman Sports and Media, bought Ebony and Jet magazines for $14 million. These magazines had faced financial problems earlier that year.

Bridgeman also co-founded an investment company called Manna Capital Partners. In 2022, this company announced plans to build a large aluminum recycling plant in New Mexico. They also planned to build a bottling facility in Alabama.

In 2024, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that Junior Bridgeman had bought a 10% share of the team. This deal showed that the team was valued at $4 billion!

Personal Life and Legacy

Junior Bridgeman was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He also served on the boards of several important organizations. These included the PGA Board of Directors, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and Churchill Downs. He was also on the Board of Trustees for the University of Louisville.

The Milwaukee Bucks honored Bridgeman many times after he retired. He often attended games for special events and charity drives. He was a member of the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville.

Junior Bridgeman died on March 11, 2025, in Louisville. He had a heart attack at an event.

Honors and Awards

• In 1988, the Milwaukee Bucks retired his jersey number, 2. This means no other player on the team will wear that number.
• He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
• In 2007, he joined the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2009.
• A street in his hometown of East Chicago, Indiana, was named in his honor in 2009.
• In 2014, he was inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame for his business success.
• He received the Gold Cup award from Greater Louisville Inc. in 2019 for his business and community work.

See also

In Spanish: Junior Bridgeman para niños