Big Money! Milwaukee Bucks Minority Owner Junior Bridgeman Becomes The Latest Addition To The Billionaire Club

Way to go, Mr. Bridgeman!

Ulysses Junior Bridgeman, a former NBA player and minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, is adding billionaire status to his impressive resume.

The 71-year-old mogul, who purchased a 10% stake in the NBA team in September 2024, is estimated to be worth an estimated $1.4 billion. Highlighted on Forbes’s “America’s Richest People 2024” list, Bridgeman is included in an elite group of Black billionaires in the sports industry, including Los Angeles Lakers legends Magic Johnson and LeBron James.

Bridgeman retired from the Bucks in 1987 after playing for 10 seasons and used his time to invest in the fast-food space. His portfolio shows he acquired more than 450 fast-food franchises, including Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and Chili’s locations. Then, in 2016, he acquired a Coca-Cola bottling company. He gives some credit for his success to former team owner Jim Fitzgerald, who he said taught him how to play in the game of business. “And I have given him credit a number of times for helping me understand business and really get to be where I am with a lot of comments and breakfast conversations and things over the years,” Bridgeman said.

He hopes to be able to do the same to those coming up in the NBA, as retirement isn’t too far away for some. “There are a lot of smart basketball people. But I’d like to, if I could, at some point in time, be able to help the guys in life and in the business world,” he continued.

During his NBA career, Bridgeman spent some time on the West Coast playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 13.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Outside of the NBA and the food and beverage space, the former sixth man’s portfolio also includes iconic Black publications like Ebony, which he purchased for $14 million in 2020 when the magazine was on the brink of bankruptcy, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Bridgeman Sports and Media succeeded in its bid for the publication’s assets. At the time of purchase, the former University of Louisville Cardinal basketball star said he believed he could bring the magazine back to life with “the right ideas and the right execution.”

James paid his respects to Bridgeman for thinking beyond the rim regarding success outside the league. James, who owns the media group The SpringHill Company, highlighted the former player for thinking about what life would look like for him when his time on the court is done. “He didn’t waste his time just thinking about the game of basketball,” the four-time NBA champion said.

Fellow legend Isaiah Thomas called Bridgeman “legendary.” “He’s the real success story. A pioneer and a great businessman,” Thomas said.