Junior Bridgeman Net Worth

What was Junior Bridgeman's net worth and Salary?

Junior Bridgeman was an American professional basketball player and highly successful fast-food entrepreneur who had a net worth of $1.5 billion at the time of his death. Unfortunately, Junior Bridgeman died on March 11, 2025, at the age of 71.

Drafted 8th overall in the 1975 NBA Draft, Bridgeman was part of the historic trade that sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers. He spent most of his 12-season career with the Milwaukee Bucks, excelling as a sixth man before retiring in 1987. Despite never earning more than $350,000 per season, he strategically planned for life beyond basketball.

Encouraged by then-Bucks owner Jim Fitzgerald, Bridgeman made early investments in business, including a cable company that provided his first significant financial gain. He later built a fast-food empire, owning over 500 Wendy's, Chili's, and Pizza Hut franchises at its peak. After selling most of his restaurants in 2016 for an estimated $250 million, he transitioned into the Coca-Cola bottling business, growing his Heartland Coca-Cola company into a billion-dollar enterprise. He owned Ebony and Jet magazines and, in September 2024, purchased a 10% stake in his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, at a valuation of $4 billion.

Junior Bridgeman's $1 billion net worth at the time of his death placed him among the few former NBA players to achieve billionaire status, alongside Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

Beyond business, Bridgeman was known for his philanthropy, mentorship, and commitment to uplifting those around him. He believed in second chances, often hiring and supporting employees with difficult pasts. His passing marks the end of an incredible legacy—one defined by hard work, vision, and a deep dedication to both business and people.

Early Life

Junior Bridgeman was born Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman in 1953 in East Chicago, Indiana (yes, Indiana, not Illinois, as you might assume). His father was a blue-collar steel mill worker – a very common job in East Chicago during the era in which Junior grew up. From a very early age, Junior showed an incredible knack for basketball. He led his high school basketball team to a state championship in 1971. At 6'5″, Bridgeman played guard and forward during college at the University of Louisville, where he was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Junior Bridgeman was drafted with the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 1975 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and was then immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

NBA Career

Bridgeman had a very successful NBA career, scoring 11,517 career points. In his 12-year NBA career (10 with Milwaukee, two with the Clippers), Bridgeman was mostly a sixth man. For nine consecutive seasons, he averaged double figures in scoring. He holds the Milwaukee franchise record for the number of games played at 711, though he only started in 105 of those games. Bridgeman was a good basketball player, solid and steady.

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

NBA Salary and Career Earnings

Junior Bridgeman's professional basketball career lasted from 1975 to 1987, in the era just before players were paid crazy amounts of money. Bridgeman's peak NBA salary was $350,000 from the Clippers in 1985.

Junior realized that his window of time in the NBA would be relatively short. At some point, the paychecks would stop coming in, and he would need to find a new source of steady income. So, on a whim, Junior decided to purchase a franchise of his favorite fast food restaurant: Wendy's.

Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Wendy's Franchises & Early Business Challenges

While many NBA players spent their offseasons relaxing, Junior Bridgeman was working the drive-thru. Unlike most athletes, he understood that his basketball career had a limited shelf life, so he made a strategic decision to invest in fast food—specifically, Wendy's.

His first major investment came in 1987, when he and former NBA player Paul Silas purchased a Wendy's in Brooklyn. However, their lack of experience led to financial struggles, and a fire destroyed the location a year later. Silas pulled out of the business, but Bridgeman refused to give up. Determined to understand every aspect of the industry, he enrolled in Wendy's franchise training and worked every role, including cashier, cook, and drive-thru attendant.

By 1989, he had successfully rebuilt and sold the Brooklyn store. Recognizing his resilience and work ethic, Wendy's corporate offered him a deal to purchase five struggling locations in Milwaukee for $150,000 each. At the time, only one of the five stores was profitable. Applying lessons from his training, Bridgeman personally marketed the stores, handing out coupons and emphasizing customer service. Within a few years, all five locations were thriving.

His hands-on approach led to an unforgettable moment. One day, while working in the kitchen frying French fries, a customer recognized him in uniform and was shocked to see a former NBA star behind the counter. Thinking Bridgeman had fallen on hard times, the customer called a local sports talk radio show, exclaiming how sad it was that a former NBA great had been reduced to asking, "Do you want fries with that?" What they didn't realize was that Bridgeman wasn't struggling—he was learning.

Bridgeman Foods Inc.

From there, he steadily expanded. Five locations grew to 20. Twenty became 50. Eventually, Bridgeman Foods Inc. controlled more than 500 restaurants, including Wendy's, Chili's, Fazoli's, and Blaze Pizza, with over 11,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $500 million.

His leadership philosophy set him apart. Bridgeman believed in second chances, hiring ex-convicts and offering them opportunities to rebuild their lives. He mentored entry-level employees and helped them rise through the ranks. Inspired by the business book Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard, he made it required reading for his managers to emphasize exceptional customer service.

By 2016, after nearly three decades in the fast-food industry, Bridgeman sold most of his franchise empire for an estimated $250 million. He then pivoted to his next major business venture: Coca-Cola bottling.

Julius Erving (left) and Junior Bridgeman (right) via Getty

Coca-Cola Bottling

In 2017, Junior Bridgeman transitioned from the fast-food industry to the beverage sector, purchasing Heartland Coca-Cola, a bottling and distribution company. His investment came at a pivotal moment—Coca-Cola had just reacquired its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, for $12.3 billion and was restructuring its bottling operations, reducing the number of independent bottlers in the U.S. from 1,000 a century ago to fewer than 100 today. Bridgeman saw a lucrative opportunity and seized it.

By 2018, he had expanded into Canada, acquiring a stake in Coca-Cola's Canadian bottling operations, alongside Canadian billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, owner of the NBA's Toronto Raptors and NHL's Maple Leafs. Under his leadership, Heartland's revenue nearly tripled, reaching close to $1 billion in 2023. His operations grew to span most of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and parts of Nebraska and Iowa, with a production plant in Lenexa, Kansas, and 18 regional distribution centers.

Bridgeman's ability to scale and optimize operations turned Heartland Coca-Cola into a billion-dollar enterprise, further solidifying his place among the wealthiest former athletes. Like his restaurant business, he maintained a hands-on leadership approach, ensuring strong company culture and employee development.

Beyond business, Heartland Coca-Cola became a major supporter of charitable initiatives, donating to causes such as the Crittenton Children's Center at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City and the St. Patrick Center in St. Louis.

Milwaukee Bucks Purchase

In September 2024, Junior Bridgeman came full circle, returning to the franchise where he spent the majority of his 12-year NBA career. He purchased a 10% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks at a team valuation of $4 billion. However, because of his strategic financial acumen, Bridgeman received a 15% preferred limited partner discount, paying an estimated $300 million for his share.

The investment was not just sentimental—it was smart. With the NBA expected to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle, the league's franchise values are set to rise dramatically. The expansion fees, estimated between $5 billion and $6 billion per team, will be distributed among the existing 30 NBA owners, meaning Bridgeman's stake in the Bucks will soon appreciate significantly.

Bridgeman viewed his ownership role as more than just a financial play—he saw it as a way to mentor today's NBA players on how to build lasting wealth beyond their playing careers. Just as former Bucks owner Jim Fitzgerald once advised him on investing wisely, Bridgeman wanted to help the next generation of players see money differently and avoid the common pitfalls of reckless spending and poor investments.

(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Personal Life & Death

Junior Bridgeman was married to his wife Doris for more than 35 years. The couple has three adult children who all have MBAs and work in the family business.

Bridgeman's #2 jersey was retired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1988. Bridgeman has personally supported the founding of several basketball camps and a Louisville boys' school for homeless children. He sits on the board of the PGA.

Unfortunately, Junior Bridgeman died on March 11, 2025, at the age of 71.

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