Former NBA player and billionaire entrepreneur Junior Bridgeman passes away

Junior Bridgeman, a former NBA sixth man who rose from humble beginnings to forge one of the most successful post-playing business careers of any professional athlete, becoming a billionaire philanthropist and, most recently, a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks team for which he once played, died on Tuesday after suffering a medical emergency at an event in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bridgeman was 71.

Multiple Louisville television stations claimed that Bridgeman grasped his chest at one point at a fundraising luncheon, expressing concern that he was having a heart attack.  The stations, including WLKY and WAVE, claimed that emergency medical services were summoned.

"I am devastated to learn of Junior Bridgeman's sudden death," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.  "Junior was the ultimate entrepreneur, expanding on his significant 12-year NBA playing career to become a widely regarded and successful business leader.  He mentored generations of NBA players and athletes from many sports who wanted to learn from him about what it takes to succeed in business.  Junior was a loyal member of the NBA family for 50 years, most recently as a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, an investor in NBA Africa, and a player who set the bar for representing the league and our game with class and dignity.

"We express our heartfelt condolences to Junior's wife, Doris, their children, Eden, Justin, and Ryan, the Bucks organization, and his many friends and admirers in the basketball community."

Bridgeman, a native of East Chicago, Indiana, starred on the Washington High School Senators' 29-0 state championship team in 1971. He went on to become an All-American with the Louisville Cardinals, reaching the Final Four in 1975.  In 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted the 6-foot-5 wing at No. 8 and then dealt him to Milwaukee as part of a blockbuster deal for Bucks star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Bridgeman spent 12 seasons in the NBA, 10 with the Bucks and two with the LA Clippers.  Throughout his career, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per 25 minutes, establishing himself as one of the game's top sixth man.  He also served as the National Basketball Players Association's president from 1985 to 1988.

Bridgeman famously made around $2.95 million in his NBA career and never earned more than $350,000 in a single season.  But after his career, he developed a fast-food business that, at its peak, had over 450 restaurants across the country.  He became a Coca-Cola bottling distributor, with a territory spanning three states and Canada.  He bought Ebony and Jet magazines.  He invested in the NBA Africa.

Bridgeman bought a 10% share in the Bucks in September, and Forbes estimated Bridgeman's net worth to be more than $1.4 billion in February.

The Bucks issued a statement saying they were "shocked and saddened" by the unfortunate death of Bucks legend and owner Junior Bridgeman.  Junior's retired No. 2 jersey hangs in Fiserv Forum as a continual reminder of his outstanding performance on the floor and his contribution to the Bucks' success.  His hard work and perseverance propelled him to the ranks of the nation's best business leaders. In September of last year, Junior's professional life came full circle when he returned to the Bucks' ownership.  His memory will always inspire the Bucks organization."

Bridgeman's achievement was far removed from his blue-collar roots.  In East Chicago, Bridgeman wanted to join the Boy Scouts, but his family couldn't afford the $1.25 membership fee.  Bridgeman had odd jobs throughout the summers while in high school, earning between $20 and $40 per week, which he sought to extend throughout the year.  During his tenure at Louisville, he worked summers at a farm equipment maker, a steel-cutting company, and occasionally the midnight-to-7 a.m. shift at a Ford truck plant.

Bridgeman was a popular figure in Louisville beyond his playing days, and when he died, Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city had "lost a kind, generous, and groundbreaking legend."

"He was an All-American at the University of Louisville...and a self-made billionaire," Greenberg said in a statement.  "Yet I will most remember Junior Bridgeman for his quiet, impactful assistance to others in need," as well as his love for his family and his "never-ending support for our community."

Prior to Milwaukee's game on Tuesday night, Bucks coach Doc Rivers praised Bridgeman as a terrific role model.

"Think about that kid growing up, wanting to be an NBA player, probably his dream, and he turned that dream into becoming an NBA owner," Rivers told the crowd.  "He is the exact model the league should use every day when they are talking to our young players."

Long after his playing career, Bridgeman lectured to NBA players -- rookies, veterans, and entire teams -- about financial literacy, a subject on which he was deeply passionate after witnessing a number of renowned athletes from various sports face economic catastrophe.  As the years passed and NBA wages grew, Bridgeman advocated caution.

"Money can disappear," he told ESPN last summer.  "Whether it's $80,000 or $80 million, it can still disappear on you."

Bridgeman also wants athletes to think about generational wealth, which is the idea of players passing on their profits to future generations of their families. Last year, he told ESPN that he was delighted that his own family, his three children, had been involved in various aspects of the corporate empire he helped develop.

Bridgeman told ESPN that his post-basketball life was "fun."  People asked, 'How could that be fun?'  Yes, it was.  It was enjoyable -- like playing basketball."