Bridgeman, who played 12 NBA seasons, died Tuesday at 71. He became an astute businessman, fast-food franchise owner, 10 percent owner of the Bucks, and finally a billionaire.

Bridgeman, known as well for 12 years as a small forward/shooting with the Milwaukee Bucks, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 71. His death has created a void in both the basketball and the business worlds, where he was widely admired as a self-made success.

Junior Bridgeman was known primarily for his 12-year NBA career, but he was an avid golfer who supported the game as an independent PGA board member.

Junior Bridgeman, a former college basketball star who went on to have a lengthy career in the NBA and became a billionaire businessman following his playing days, died on Tuesday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Junior Bridgeman, a basketball standout who led Louisville to a Final Four, played 12 seasons in the NBA and then launched an even more successful career as a businessman with stakes in publishing, restaurants and the Milwaukee Bucks, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Junior Bridgeman, a college basketball and NBA standout who went on to an even more successful career in business, has died at the age of 71.

Junior Bridgeman has passed away at 71 years old, leaving behind a lasting legacy. The former NBA Milwaukee Bucks player who became a prominent businessman died on March 11, 2025, following a medical emergency.

He became an entrepreneur during a solid career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He later bought hundreds of fast-food outlets, a Coca-Cola bottling business and Ebony and Jet magazines.

Former Bucks star Junior Bridgeman, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 71, built an empire spanning restaurants, publishing, and more.