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The basketball world has misplaced an important as Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman handed away at 71.
In keeping with Kentucky’s WAVE, Bridgeman was attending an occasion on the Galt Home in downtown Louisville on March 11 when he grabbed his chest and mentioned he thought he was having a coronary heart assault. The room was cleared as medical personnel tried to intervene within the medical emergency. Later that day, the Al J. Schneider Firm, which owns the Galt Home, confirmed his dying with the Courier-Journal and expressed their sympathies.
“Junior Bridgeman was an integral a part of our neighborhood. From his athletic influence to his philanthropic efforts, he will probably be deeply missed,” mentioned Lance George, Chief Advertising and marketing Officer. “Our ideas and prayers exit to the Bridgeman household throughout this time.”
Bridgeman was a beloved member of the basketball neighborhood after getting his begin on the College of Louisville, the place he led the Cardinals to the NCAA Remaining 4 in 1975. From there, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, and after 9 years, he went to the Los Angeles Clippers for a bit earlier than in the end retiring with the workforce that drafted him.
However because the sixth man, he earned solely round $350,000 a season for many of his profession, but it surely was all he wanted to develop into a billionaire enterprise magnate after leaving basketball behind. He used the offseason to coach himself on the intricacies of enterprise and ended up proudly owning 100 Wendy’s and Chili’s earlier than promoting them off in 2016, which earned him the title of the fourth wealthiest retired athlete by Forbes.
As CEO and president, he led his personal Bridgeman Meals Inc., and later, by way of his Bridgeman Sports activities and Media firm, he purchased iconic black media firms Ebony and Jet. Then, simply final 12 months, his enterprise profession had a full circle second as he bought a 10% stake within the Bucks, which is evaluated in its entirety at $4 billion.
The franchise launched a press release after information of his passing, praising his enterprise acumen and his on-court success.
“Junior’s retired No. 2 jersey hangs within the Fiserv Discussion board, serving as a relentless remembrance of his excellent play on the courtroom and his influence on the Bucks’ success,” the Bucks’ assertion reads. “His exhausting work and perseverance led him to develop into one of many nation’s high enterprise leaders and, final September, Junior’s skilled life got here full circle when he returned to the Bucks household as an proprietor. His reminiscence will all the time be an inspiration to the Bucks group.”
See how social media is reacting to Bridgeman’s dying under.
Basketball Legend & Billionaire Businessman Junior Bridgeman Dies At 71
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