Louisville Hoops Legend, NBA Star, Billionaire Passes at 71

I have a great love of college basketball. I have been following it religiously for decades. I have my teams like Western Kentucky University (my alma mater), Kentucky, and Louisville.  And I've always been a fan of Gonzaga and UCLA, the latter of which dominated the collegiate athletics, if not the ENTIRE sports conversation in the early to mid 1970s.

Louisville Legend Junior Bridgeman Passes

Yes, UCLA's dominance in that era led to instant superstardom for a LOT of players--Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton leap to mind. But my big moment, the point at which I fell in love with the sport, happened at Freedom Hall in Louisville in February of 1973. We were visiting my grandmother and took in a matchup between the Cardinals and the St. Louis Billikens. Dad was showing me where all the cameras were, and it was all very exciting. But my eyes and my young mind were focused on the action on the floor. A sophomore named Junior Bridgeman was on that Louisville team that beat the brakes off the Billikens, 88-49.

Did I know who Bridgeman was at the time? Of course not. But he averaged nearly 14 points and seven rebounds a game that season, his first in a Cardinals uniform.

I took a deep nostalgic dive when I learned Bridgeman passed away Tuesday. Then I began searching social media and finding comments from every manner of hoops analyst about the former U of L star who went on to a successful 12-year career in the NBA.

Junior Bridgeman's Net Worth and Legacy

During his off-seasons, Bridgeman studied the Wendy's business model before investing in the franchise. Ultimately, Junior would come to own more than 100 Wendy's AND Chili's restaurants. In 2016, Forbes named him the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete behind Arnold Palmer, Michael Jordan, and David Beckham. And he wasn't finished. He bought Ebony and Jet magazines in 2020 for $14 million. Bridgeman's legacy also includes a vast number of philanthropic endeavors.

A great man, a great family man, a terrific baller, and a caring and giving philanthropist has left us.

For me personally, Bridgeman was there on the Freedom Hall court, getting his buckets and rebounds, and unwittingly collaborating in the beginnings of a great love that has stayed with me my entire life.