Junior Bridgeman’s legacy extends far beyond his contributions on the basketball court.
The former Milwaukee Bucks star, who passed away at 71, built an empire that made him one of the few NBA players to achieve billionaire status.
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Junior Bridgeman, a legend even after basketball
Junior Bridgeman’s journey from a formidable sixth man in the league to a business mogul places him in rare company alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James.
But unlike those globally recognized superstars, Bridgeman amassed his fortune not through endorsements or blockbuster contracts, but through savvy investments in the fast-food and beverage industries.
Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Bridgeman learned the value of hard work early on.
His father, a steel mill worker, instilled a strong work ethic in him, a principle he carried throughout his basketball career and into his post-NBA ventures.
Despite being a top-10 draft pick in 1975, Bridgeman never earned more than $350,000 per season during his 12-year career.
Knowing he needed a plan beyond basketball, he took business advice from then-Bucks owner Jim Fitzgerald and made his first major investment in a startup cable company.
That initial success planted the seed for what would become a thriving business empire.
Bridgeman’s entrepreneurial breakthrough came in 1987 when he ventured into the restaurant industry by investing in a Wendy’s franchise.
His first attempt was rocky, his Brooklyn location struggled due to inexperience, and a fire eventually destroyed the business.
However, instead of walking away, Bridgeman immersed himself in the fast-food industry, learning operations from the ground up.
Over time, he turned struggling Wendy’s locations into thriving businesses, eventually owning over 500 restaurant franchises, including Wendy’s, Chili’s, and Pizza Hut, generating $500 million in revenue at its peak.
In 2016, Bridgeman sold most of his restaurant holdings for an estimated $250 million and shifted his focus to the beverage industry.
He purchased Heartland Coca-Cola, securing distribution rights across multiple states.
Over the next decade, he expanded his bottling business, growing its revenue to nearly $1 billion in 2023.
His ownership stake in Coca-Cola’s Canadian bottling business further cemented his financial standing. By 2024, Forbes estimated Bridgeman’s net worth at $1.4 billion.
Despite his vast wealth, Bridgeman remained committed to his core values, investing in people, fostering opportunities, and giving back to his community.
He later acquired iconic Black media brands, Ebony and Jet, and became a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
His story stands as a testament to strategic planning, perseverance, and the power of reinvention, qualities that transformed him from a respected NBA player into a self-made billionaire.
