Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman (born September 17, 1953) is an American businessman and former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Bridgeman played in the National Basketball League (NBA) for twelve years from 1975 until 1987, beginning with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. Bridgeman is the current owner of ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'' and '' Jet'' magazines. Despite never making more than $350,000 a season during his NBA career, Bridgeman has a net worth of over $600 million, making him one of the wealthiest former athletes in the world.

Career

High school career

Born in

East Chicago, Indiana East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census. The city is home of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing ac ...

, Bridgeman was a member of the 1971 Washington High School Senators basketball team, which went undefeated (29–0) and won the Indiana state high school basketball championship. Among his teammates were his brother Sam,

Pete Trgovich Pete Trgovich is an American former college basketball player. He played for the UCLA Bruins, and won two national championships during his career. Trgovich was a member of the 1971 East Chicago Washington High School Senators basketball team, wh ...

(who played at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

) and Tim Stoddard ( N.C. State), who would go on to have success as a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

College career

A tall

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

/ forward, Bridgeman attended the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one ...

, playing under Coach

Denny Crum Denzel Edwin "Denny" Crum (born March 2, 1937) is an American former men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, compiling a record. He guided the Cardinals to two NCAA championships (1980, 1986) and six Fi ...

. Bridgeman was the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

Player of the Year in 1974 and 1975. Bridgeman led the Louisville Cardinals to the

1974 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament The 1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to be designated as a Division I c ...

as a junior. As a senior, he led the Cardinals to the Final Four of the

1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament The 1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship ga ...

, where they lost the eventual NCAA Champion

75–74 in the National Semi-Final. In his collegiate career at Louisville, Bridgeman averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 87 career games.

NBA career

Bridgeman was drafted by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in the

1975 NBA draft The 1975 NBA draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 29, 1975, before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players a ...

in the 1st Round (#8 overall pick). On June 16, 1975, almost three weeks after the draft, Bridgeman was involved in a landmark trade. Bridgeman was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers with David Meyers, Elmore Smith and

Brian Winters Brian Joseph Winters (born March 1, 1952) is an American former basketball player and coach. Career Winters attended academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York, graduating in 1970. He then played collegia ...

to the

for

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

and

Walt Wesley Walter Wesley (born January 25, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Wesley grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, the son of Leroy and Josie Wesley. He attended Dunbar High School in Fort Myers. College career The to ...

. As a rookie with Milwaukee in 1975–1976 under coach

Larry Costello Lawrence Ronald Costello (July 2, 1931 – December 13, 2001) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors, the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA and the Wilkes-Barre Barons. ...

, Bridgeman averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. In 1976–1977, Costello was fired by Milwaukee after a 3–15 start and assistant coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

, who had been a player for the 1976 NBA champion

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

the year before, was hired as coach. Bridgeman improved, averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. On December 15, 1976, Bridgeman scored a career-high 41 points in a 129–125 loss against Boston. Nelson and Bridgeman would remain together for the next eight seasons. Bridgeman was utilized by coach Nelson as a complement to teammates

Bob Dandridge Robert L. Dandridge Jr. (born November 15, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed the "Greyhound", Dandridge was a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion, who scored 15,530 points in his career. He was ele ...

Marques Johnson Marques Kevin Johnson (born February 8, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player who is a basketball analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Bally Sports Wisconsin. He played as a small forward in the National Basketball Associat ...

Sidney Moncrief Sidney Alvin Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975 to 1979, Moncrief played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, leading them to the 1978 F ...

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted in ...

Quinn Buckner William Quinn Buckner (born August 20, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiate basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers, and won a national championship in 1976. He was a captain of both ...

, Myers, Winters and

Mickey Johnson Wallace Edgar "Mickey" Johnson (born August 31, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Career Basketball After graduating from Chicago's Lindblom High School and playing colleg ...

during his Milwaukee tenure, as the Bucks had powerful teams, winning several division titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984). On April 5, 1981, Bridgeman scored a career playoff-high 32 points and recorded 6 assists in a Game 1 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. After nine seasons in Milwaukee, on September 29, 1984, Bridgeman was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks with

Harvey Catchings Harvey Lee Catchings (born September 2, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 to 1985 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks ...

and cash to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

for

Terry Cummings Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a ...

, Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce. On January 29, 1985, Bridgeman scored 30 points in a loss against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

. After spending two years in Los Angeles, he returned to Milwaukee for one more season before retiring in 1987. He played in 711 games for the Bucks, still the most in franchise history. In his 12-year NBA career, Bridgeman scored 11,517 total points. He was a sixth man for most of his career, averaging double figures in scoring for nine consecutive seasons. Some believe that if the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substit ...

was created before the 1982–83 season, Bridgeman may have won it multiple times. In his career with the Milwaukee Bucks (1975–1984, 1986–1987) and the

(1984–1986), Bridgeman played in 849 total NBA games, averaging 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists, shooting 47% from the floor and 84% from the line. Bridgeman also served as the president of the National Basketball Players association from 1985 to 1988. Bridgeman resigned after the 1988 CBA and the controversy of the Junior Bridgeman antitrust lawsuit, which NBA players indicted the NBA of violation of antitrust laws by compensating to eschew from matching offers for

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

s and abuse of the salary cap that lead to a decreased of the total players' gross revenues from 61 percent to 54 percent from the 1983–84 season.

Corporate career

During the off-seasons of his playing career, Bridgeman worked and learned the business model of

Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was ...

fast food restaurant franchise. After retiring from the NBA, he invested in the franchise and eventually owned over 100 various Wendy's and

Chili's Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International. History Chili's first location, a converted postal stati ...

restaurants, before selling in 2016. As President and CEO of Bridgeman Foods Inc, in 2017, Bridgeman became a bottler for

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups ...

, and in 2018, he signed a letter of intent to buy bottling operations in Canada. In December 2020, Bridgeman, via Bridgeman Sports and Media, bought ''

'' and '' Jet'' for $14 million after the magazines had declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

earlier in the year. On May 26, 2022, Manna Capital Partners, an investment firm cofounded by Bridgeman, announced that the firm had partnered with

Ball Corporation Ball Corporation is an American company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. It is best known for its early production of glass jars, lids, and related products used for home canning. Since its founding in Buffalo, New York, in 1880, when it w ...

to construct an operate an integrated secondary aluminum mill in

Los Lunas, New Mexico Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population is 14,835 inside the village limits due to the new housing developments at El Cerro de Los Lunas (Huning Ranch). It is the county ...

. On October 18, 2022, Alabama Governor

Kay Ivey Kay Ellen Ivey (born October 15, 1944) is an American politician serving as the 54th and incumbent governor of Alabama since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38th ...

announced that Manna Capital Partners would invest in a bottling facility to be located in

Hope Hull, Alabama Hope Hull, also known as McGehees Switch, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Alabama, United States, southwest of Montgomery. It is home to the drive-through zoological park ''Alabama Safari Park''. History Hope Hull, a stop o ...

and operated by affiliate Manna Beverages & Ventures.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 81 , , - , , 20.3 , , .439 , , - , , .795 , , 3.6 , , 1.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 29.4 , , .449 , , .000 , , .864 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 22.9 , , .503 , , .000 , , .810 , , 3.5 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 13.6 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 23.9 , , .506 , , .000 , , .829 , , 3.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , - , , 28.6 , , .478 , , .185 , , .865 , , 3.7 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 17.6 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , - , , 28.8 , , .487 , , .143 , , .884 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 41 , , 4 , , 22.5 , , .483 , , .444 , , .864 , , 3.0 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 5 , , 26.5 , , .492 , , .077 , , .837 , , 3.5 , , 3.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 10 , , 30.0 , , .465 , , .194 , , .807 , , 4.1 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, 80 , , 15 , , 25.5 , , .465 , , .359 , , .879 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 58 , , 14 , , 20.0 , , .441 , , .333 , , .891 , , 2.1 , , 1.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 4 , , 12.3 , , .462 , , .167 , , .800 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 5.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 849 , , 52 , , 25.0 , , .475 , , .244 , , .846 , , 3.5 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 13.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , - , , 22.3 , , .450 , , - , , .636 , , 3.7 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , - , , 19.8 , , .484 , , - , , .750 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , - , , 24.8 , , .357 , , .000 , , .733 , , 3.8 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , - , , 26.1 , , .462 , , 1.000 , , .813 , , 2.1 , , 3.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , - , , 34.2 , , .469 , , .400 , , .933 , , 5.0 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 16.9 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , - , , 31.2 , , .456 , , .111 , , .815 , , 4.0 , , 2.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 14.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 49 , , - , , 27.7 , , .454 , , .250 , , .814 , , 3.5 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 13.3

Personal

Bridgeman is a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved in ...

fraternity. In 2008, the

PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 men and women members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish ...

appointed Bridgeman to serve on the PGA Board of Directors. The

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

appointed Bridgeman to the board of governors in 2010. Churchill Downs Inc. appointed Bridgeman to the company's board of directors in 2012. In 2016–2017 Bridgeman was appointed and served on the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. Bridgeman is also a key member of the

Simmons College of Kentucky Simmons College of Kentucky is a private historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1879, it is the nation's 107th HBCU and is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. History Beginnings In August 1865 ...

Board of Trustees. Bridgeman has been honored numerous times at Bucks games since his retirement, and makes regular appearances at Bucks games for bobblehead nights and autograph signings during charity donation-drive events. Bridgeman is a member of the Louisville

megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...

Southeast Christian Church. In 2016, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' ranked Bridgeman the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world behind only

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...

and

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

with an estimated income of $32 million. On the Bucks’ appearance in the

2021 NBA Finals The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks ...

, and recalling his Bucks teams repeated Eastern Conference Finals losses, Bridgeman said "You know, we all wore the same jersey at some point in time. So, you feel a relationship there and you know, so much admiration for the guys that are able to get to the Finals. You know, that was our dream of ours and unfortunately, we ran into a couple of guys in Boston and Philly at the time, but they've been able to do it and just wishing them all the luck in the world."

Honors

* Bridgeman's no. 2 jersey was retired by the

in 1988. * In 1999, Bridgeman was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. * Bridgeman was inducted into the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2007. * In 2009, Bridgeman was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. * In 2014, Bridgeman was inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. * In 2019, Bridgeman received the Gold Cup award from Greater Louisville Inc. in honor of his business contributions and community involvement.

References

External links

*
Profile at the Bucks' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgeman, Junior 1953 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American businesspeople All-American college men's basketball players American businesspeople Basketball players from Indiana Los Angeles Clippers announcers Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players Members of the Christian churches and churches of Christ Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Sportspeople from East Chicago, Indiana Shooting guards Small forwards American men's basketball players National Basketball Players Association presidents 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople