Junior Bridgeman

Junior Bridgeman
Personal information
Born (1953-09-17) September 17, 1953
East Chicago, Indiana
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school Washington (East Chicago, Indiana)
College Louisville (1972–1975)
NBA draft 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career 1975–1987
Position Small forward / Shooting guard
Number 2
Career history
1975–1984 Milwaukee Bucks
1984–1986 Los Angeles Clippers
1986–1987 Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 11,517 (13.6 ppg)
Rebounds 2,995 (3.5 rpg)
Assists 2,066 (2.4 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman (born September 17, 1953) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player.

High school career

Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Bridgeman was a member of the 1971 East Chicago Washington High School Senators basketball team, which went undefeated (29-0) and won the Indiana state high school basketball championship. Among his teammates were his brother Sam, Pete Trgovich (who played at UCLA) and Tim Stoddard (N.C. State), who would go on to have success as a Major League Baseball pitcher.

College and professional career

A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall guard/forward from the University of Louisville, Bridgeman was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 and immediately traded with Brian Winters, David Meyers and Elmore Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bridgeman went on to have a solid 12-year NBA career, spent mostly with the Bucks, and he scored 11,517 total points. Although he was a sixth man for most of his career, he averaged double figures in scoring for nine consecutive seasons. He played in 711 games for the Bucks, still the most in franchise history, although he started only 105 times.

Post-playing career

During the off-seasons of his playing career, Bridgeman used to work and learn the business model of Wendy's fast food restaurant franchise. After retiring from the NBA, he started owning various Wendy's and Chili's restaurants, and then sold them in 2016.[1][2] In 2017, Bridgeman became a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company,[3] and in 2018, he signed a letter of intent to buy bottling operations in Canada.[3]

Honors

Bridgeman's no. 2 jersey was retired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1988. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Personal life

Bridgeman is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[4]

In late June 2016, Bridgeman was appointed to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees by Governor of Kentucky Matt Bevin following an administrative reorganization in which Bevin abolished the university's former governing board. The appointment of the new board, including Bridgeman, was challenged by the state's Attorney General Andy Beshear on grounds that the governor did not have the power to do so.[5] He is a member of the Louisville megachurch Southeast Christian Church,[6] which Bevin also attends.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Miller, David (July 28, 2017). "How A Former NBA Player Turned $350,000 into $400 Million". Black Wealth Channel. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ Schuyler, David (April 20, 2016). "Junior Bridgeman selling restaurant franchises to become Coca-Cola distributor". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Mandel, Eric (March 9, 2018). "NBA legend, NHL entrepreneur joint venture completes Coca-Cola's bottling overhaul". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Hartford Alphas". Archived from the original on July 12, 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  5. ↑ Otts, Chris; Green, Marcus (June 29, 2016). "Gov. Matt Bevin names 10 appointees to University of Louisville Board of Trustees". Louisville, KY: WDRB. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ Schenk, Ruth (April 14, 2016). "Grace at the Race: Bridgeman bringing Derby-time event back to Blankenbaker Campus". The Southeast Outlook. Middletown, Kentucky: Southeast Christian Church. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ Schneider, Grace (June 17, 2016). "Who are U of L's interim board members?". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
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