LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman died Tuesday after suffering a medical event while at a luncheon at the Galt House. Bridgeman was 71.

According to WLKY, Bridgeman was speaking with a reporter when he said he thought he was having a heart attack.

The Muhammad Ali Center confirmed Bridgeman’s death on X.

Bridgeman attended the University of Louisville under Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1974 and 1975. He scored 1,348 career points and helped lead UofL to a 72-17 record in his three years at the school. Bridgeman helped the Cardinals win two MVC titles and took them to the 1975 Final Four.

In 1975, Bridgeman was the eighth overall pick in the first round of the NBA, being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers, but three weeks later he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He spent 12 seasons in the NBA with the Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Bridgeman retired in 1987 and the Bucks retired his No. 2 jersey a year later.

Bridgeman’s 711 career games with the Bucks ranks him third in franchise history behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

Once he retired, business was Bridgeman’s calling. He founded Bridgeman Foods in 1988 and operated several Wendy’s and Chili’s restaurants. Now, the company under the umbrella of Manna Inc. operates 249 Wendy’s restaurants, 124 Chili’s Grill and Bar restaurants, several Fazoli’s, Golden Corral Buffets and a handful of other restaurants. He also became a bottler for the Coca Cola Company. In 2020, Bridgeman bought Ebony and Jet magazines after the publication went bankrupt.

On Sept. 26, 2024, Bridgeman bought a 10% stake in his former team. He told the Associated Press, “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.

Bridgeman’s success as a player and as a businessman made him attractive to NBA teams seeking people to purchase stakes in their team. But he had a connection to Milwaukee and that was important to him.

Junior Bridgeman played at the University of Louisville under Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum. He helped the Cardinals win two MVC titles and took them to the 1975 Final Four. (Louisville Athletics)

“When you played here and you became a part of the Bucks organization, even when you left, you never felt like you were not a part of the organization,” Bridgeman said.

Bridgeman wasn’t just active in Milwaukee. Louisville was home. In 2022, an ownership group that included Bridgeman, David Novak, former chief executive of Yum Brands, Jimmy Kirchdorfer, the CEO of ISCO, a piping company, Chester Musseleman, a hotel owner, bought Valhalla Golf Club when the PGA of America sold it. 

In Feb. 2025, Forbes Magazine said Bridgeman had joined "rare air alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James as the only NBA players with 10-figure fortunes." It is estimated his net worth is $1.4 billion dollars. According to Forbes, Bridgeman is the fourth NBA player to achieve billionaire status.

He sat on numerous boards and committees across the state.

Bridgeman is survived by his wife Doris and their children, Eden, Justin and Ryan.