Former NBAer and billionaire businessman Junior Bridgeman has died at 71 after suffering a “medical emergency” Tuesday at The Galt House in Louisville during the 45th Annual Leadership Luncheon on Scouting. WLKY’s Kent Taylor was “interviewing him as part of the program in front of hundreds of attendees when Bridgeman expressed that he thought he was having a heart attack.” Emergency medical services arrived and Bridgeman was “taken away in an ambulance.” Bridgeman spent more than a decade in the NBA and is one of Louisville’s “most prominent business leaders and philanthropists.” Forbes estimated he was “worth more than a billion dollars, putting him on a very short and elite list of athletes.” Bridgeman last year became a minority owner of his former team, the Bucks. During his NBA career, he “started investing in Wendy’s restaurants and eventually built a fast-food empire” with his company Bridgeman Foods Inc., owning more than 450 restaurants. He “sold most of them” in 2016. His other enterprises include Coca-Cola bottling operations and Ebony and Jet magazines. He was also a co-owner of the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville (WLKY.com, 3/11).
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Bridgeman “was the ultimate entrepreneur” who became “a highly respected and successful business leader.” Silver: “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” (AP, 3/11).
Other tributes poured in for Bridgeman, including:
- The Bucks released a statement noting that Bridgeman’s “memory will always be an inspiration to the Bucks organization.”
- Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson said, “It was his character, his kindness, and his gentle soul that truly left a lasting impression on me.”
- Basketball HOFer Shaquille O’Neal said, “I’ve patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman.”
- Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, “When you think about Junior’s life, you know, I keep thinking about LeBron and Magic and how influential they are to our league -- and they are -- and what they’ve done off the court is amazing. But the role model we should have is Junior Bridgeman when you think about it.“
- Longtime Bucks announcer Eddie Doucette said, “”I feel like he was as close to pure platinum as you can get.“
- Basketball HOFer Alex English said, “He showed us all how to be businessmen/women in (our) community.”
- Haslam Sports Group owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said, “You will always be remembered as an amazing teammate and loyal friend” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/11).