Offensive Game
Reliable scorer averaging 13+ PPG per season, primarily off the bench. Expert mid-range shooter and high-percentage free-throw shooter.
Career Journey
Los Angeles Lakers
1975
Junior Bridgeman came to Milwaukee in the 1975 blockbuster that sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers, and he made the Bucks glad they kept him. For a decade he was one of the league's finest sixth men — a reliable scorer who could start when asked and never groused about coming off the bench, a professionalism that defined him. He averaged in double figures across ten Bucks seasons and stayed a beloved figure in the city long after he stopped playing. His second act was even more remarkable: Bridgeman built a fast-food and Coca-Cola bottling empire, acquired Ebony and Jet magazines, and eventually became a minority owner of the Bucks, amassing a fortune beyond a billion dollars. He died in March 2025 at 71, remembered as much for his generosity and business mind as his game.
Offensive Game
Reliable scorer averaging 13+ PPG per season, primarily off the bench. Expert mid-range shooter and high-percentage free-throw shooter.
Defensive Game
Competent but not elite defender. His offensive consistency was the primary value proposition.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
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Milwaukee Bucks
1975-1984
Los Angeles Clippers
1984-1985
Milwaukee Bucks
1986-1987
Acquired in the 1975 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade
Came to the Bucks in the June 1975 deal that sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers, becoming a Milwaukee fixture for a decade.
One of the NBA's premier sixth men
Played 12 NBA seasons and starred as a versatile reserve scorer, averaging in double figures over ten seasons in Milwaukee.
Billionaire businessman and Bucks co-owner
Built a restaurant and Coca-Cola bottling empire, acquired Ebony and Jet, and became a Bucks minority owner before his death on March 11, 2025, at age 71.
Intangibles
High-IQ veteran who understood his role completely and maximized every opportunity from the bench.
Personal Life & Family
Partner
Doris Bridgeman
Parents & Siblings
Off the Court
Milwaukee community development foundation
Youth entrepreneurship programs
Did You Know?
Built a restaurant franchise empire of over 450 Wendy's and Chili's locations after retirement — making him one of the wealthiest former professional athletes in American sports history.
Was traded to Milwaukee on the same night the Bucks traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers — arriving as part of the transaction that reshaped both franchises.
Became publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines in 2016, adding media ownership to his business portfolio.
Has spoken about how the discipline of professional sports — fundamentals, consistency, and long-term thinking — directly informed his business success.
Career Honors
Franchise career games played leader at time of retirement
Twice All-Sixth Man Award candidate
One of the NBA's most successful business executives post-career
Milwaukee Bucks · Official
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