Junior Bridgeman, the former NBA sixth man who transformed from a professional athlete into a highly successful businessman, has passed away. The 71-year-old Bridgeman, who became a billionaire philanthropist and recently held a minority ownership stake in the Milwaukee Bucks—an organization he once played for—died on Tuesday following a medical emergency at a fundraising event in Louisville, Kentucky.
According to multiple local television stations, including WLKY and WAVE, Bridgeman experienced severe chest pain during the luncheon and expressed concerns about having a heart attack. Emergency medical personnel were summoned to the scene.
Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman was an American businessman and professional basketball player.
1953, East Chicago, IN
Died: March 11, 2025 (age 71 years), Louisville, KY
Bridgeman’s journey to success is a testament to his perseverance, starting from his modest beginnings. Growing up in East Chicago, he had aspirations of joining the Boy Scouts, but his family’s financial situation made the $1.25 membership fee a burden they couldn’t bear. Throughout high school, he worked various odd jobs during the summer, earning between $20 and $40 each week, which he carefully saved to get him through the school year. While attending Louisville, he continued to hustle, taking summer jobs at a farm equipment manufacturer, a steel-cutting company, and even working the midnight shift at a Ford truck plant a few nights a week.
Junior Bridgeman spent 10 of his 12 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he made a name for himself as one of the league’s top sixth men. Hailing from East Chicago, Indiana, he was a standout player on the 1971 Washington High School Senators, who achieved an impressive 29-0 record and won the state championship. Bridgeman went on to become an All-American at Louisville, helping the team reach the Final Four in 1975. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 8th overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft but was soon traded to Milwaukee in a major deal that sent star player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers.
Bridgeman departs from his wife, Doris Bridgeman, who has been both a benefactor and business partner to him, along with their three children: Eden Bridgeman Sklenar, Ryan Bridgeman, and Justin Bridgeman.
Junior Bridgeman, NBA, Milwaukee Bucks, philanthropy, businessman, athlete death, sports news, basketball legacy
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