Magic Johnson pens emotional Junior Bridgeman tribute following $1.4 billion worth Milwaukee Bucks owner’s death

Junior Bridgeman's death has clearly left Magic Johnson in considerable pain, as evidenced by his long and moving open letter

Magic Johnson pens emotional Junior Bridgeman tribute following $1.4 billion worth Milwaukee Bucks owner’s death

Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgeman

The late Junior Bridgeman became a billionaire after the conclusion of his NBA career and blazed a trail for building generational wealth for many of the players to play in the league after him. His recent death in Louisville due to an unrevealed medical emergency caused an outpouring of sorrow from his peers, competitors and everyone else in the basketball community.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson was among those who paid their tributes to the deceased 71-year-old. Johnson and Bridgeman were competitors in the league who played against each other from 1979 to 1987. Bridgeman’s death has clearly left the 5-time NBA champion in considerable pain, as evidenced by his long and moving open letter published on social media.

YouTube video

Magic Johnson highlighted Bridgeman’s inspirational life story and achievements in this post, outlining the various ways in which he was an achiever par excellence. In particular, Johnson highlighted how Bridgeman served as a guiding light for NBA athletes looking to consolidate their wealth into a multi-generational amount, while also being a willing and enthusiastic philanthropist. A small segment of his tweet can be found below:

What people don’t realize is Junior didn’t make a fortune as a player, but he turned what he earned into something extraordinary, becoming a billionaire African American businessman in this country. His business portfolio included owning 450 Wendy’s and Chili’s franchises in 20 states, Coca-Cola bottling operations in the US and Canada, Ebony and Jet magazines, Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, and he was a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Magic Johnson tweeted

Bridgeman was a franchise legend for the Milwaukee Bucks, having played for most of his 12-year career in Wisconsin. His tally of 711 appearances ranks third in the history of the franchise, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Bridgeman’s jersey was also retired by the franchise following his retirement.

How did Junior Bridgeman build a $1.4 billion net worth?

Junior Bridgeman built the bulk of his net worth by investing in successful Wendy’s franchises. Bridgeman reportedly owned over 450 of these establishments across the United States. He also owned Chili’s restaurant locations in a lot of states – yet another venture Bridgeman trained to be able to undertake after retirement. The billionaire sold all of these franchises by the year 2016 to recoup a handsome return on his investments after decades of reaping profits.

Bridgeman then ventured into the bottling business, undertaking contracts to do those operations for The Coca-Cola Company in 2017. He would then go on to add bottling operations in Canada to his Bridgeman Foods Inc the following year.

Bridgeman later went on to acquire a 10% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks in September 2024 at a valuation of $4 billion from majority owner Jimmy Haslam. His expenditure was seen as a fitting full-circle moment in his association with basketball. Bridgeman was expected to be a positive influence on a franchise for whom he was such a worthy ambassador during his playing days.