Tributes pour in for Junior Bridgeman as ex-NBA star and billionaire businessman dies suddenly at 71

Tributes continue to pour in for Junior Bridgeman, the former Milwaukee Bucks player and part-owner, who served as an inspiration to many through his success in sports, business and publishing prior to his death at age 71 on Tuesday. 

According to media reports, Bridgeman suffered a medical emergency during a fundraiser at a hotel in Louisville on Tuesday and was later declared deceased as the result of a heart attack.

Current Bucks coach and former Bridgeman rival Doc Rivers admitted to reporters that Tuesday was a 'tough day… Just a really tough day.

'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 continued. '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 and ranks seventh in Bucks history in field goals (4,142), ninth in points (9,892) and 10th in minutes (18,054).

'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,' NBA legend as well as Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner 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.'

'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.

After his playing days, Bridgeman turned that same drive into a successful business career.

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.

'This man proved we are more than just athletes,' former NFL quarterback and TV analyst Robert Griffin III wrote on X. 'Yes, he was 'The Torch' off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks. Yes, he owned over 450 Wendy's and 120 Chili's at one point. Yes, he was one of the largest independent Coca-Cola bottlers in the United States. 

'But, he was a better person. Mentored me and taught me the importance of giving back to the next generation. Forever grateful for Junior Bridgeman and shocked and saddened to know he is gone.'

Many others chose to remember Bridgeman the same way, including NBA star-turned-investor Shaquille O'Neal, who is also invested in fast food chains.

'A lot of people don't know, but I patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman,' O'Neal told his Inside the NBA co-hosts on TNT. 'They always tell us how 75 percent of athletes, zero to five years after they're done playing, go broke, and I never wanted to be that.

'I reached out to him, we started talking,' O'Neal continued. 'He had Wendy's, I started Big Chicken, Pepsi/Coke, everything that he did, I just tried to pattern after him.

'If it wasn't for Bridgeman, I wouldn't have known where to start.'

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.'

Senator 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.'

'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.'

Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari described Bridgeman as 'one of the nicest and caring person I’ve ever met.'

'He was successful in everything he did,' Calipari said. 'He was always looking for win win opportunities. He treated people right. He was beacon of hope for many and a mentor to anyone that asked his help.' 

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.

He 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, Rivers, general manager Jon Horst and many players. Bridgeman said afterward he had a 10-percent 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.

Besides his wife, he is survived by children Eden, Justin and Ryan.