Richer Than Shaq & Charles Barkley, Ex-NBA Star Set to Own Bucks Stake Despite Never Earning Over $350K

Junior Bridgeman was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 as the no. 8 overall, only to be traded to the Bucks in less than three weeks in exchange for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He went on to play 10 of his 12 NBA seasons with the team and enjoyed a successful run as primarily the sixth man off the bench. There he even made history by being the one who played the most games in a Bucks uniform at 711 and this record stood for 35 seasons until Giannis Antetokounmpo surpassed him in 2023. However, it is his post-retirement career that outshined his on-court achievements.

He successfully built an empire with his Bridgeman Foods. In fact, there was a time when he owned more than 450 restaurants and one of his biggest investments was Wendy’s. But now, he will once again connect with his basketball roots and own stake in the Milwaukee Bucks- the very team he played for almost his entire basketball career.

As reported by CNBC, the former NBA player will buy 10% of the Milwaukee Bucks, and the transaction will value the team at $4 billion. Fortunately for Bridgeman, it will be reduced to a $3.4 billion valuation- a 15% preferred limited partner discount, just to have him on board. However, the Bucks and Bridgeman are yet to confirm this deal publicly.

If this purchase does end up happening, it would be the first NBA sale since they inked an 11-year-long media deal with Disney, Comcast, NBC Universal, and Amazon Prime. The deal took place in July. Currently, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Wes Edens, and Jamie Dinan are the three ownership parties of the Milwaukee Bucks and have a 25% stake each.

Further, this deal highlights the ongoing growth of the Bucks, which is a small-market team. When Marc Lasry, the former co-owner, sold his 25% stake to the Haslams in 2023, the team’s value stood at approximately $3.2 billion.

Coming back to Junior Bridgeman, his $600 million net worth, as of 2024, has put him in a position where he can own a stake in his favorite basketball team; All thanks to his great business acumen. According to Forbes in 2016, Bridgeman was the fifth-wealthiest retired athlete in 2015.

Junior Bridgeman used the Shaq model before Shaq!

Shaquille O’Neal is among the most affluent businessmen produced through the NBA. Apart from disciplined spending, Big Diesel utilized his career earnings to buy fast-food chains, car washes, and restaurants to bolster his net worth gradually. However, the Lakers icon was among the highest-paid players at the time of his retirement, while Junior Bridgeman never saw a cheque for more than $350,000 in a season.

Still, he was able to adapt Shaq’s model way before him. How? It all began a long time ago. Initially, the Bucks legend lost $150,000 when he bought a Wendy’s franchise with ex-NBA forward Paul Silas. Instead of abandoning the path, Bridgeman decided to study the fast-food business. After visiting various franchises and understanding the logistics, he spent his entire NBA savings, $750,000 to purchase five Wendy’s locations in Milwaukee.

Within two years, each location returned $2 million. Since he understood the model, he gradually kept adding more locations to his portfolio. Soon, he also became a Coca-Cola bottle distributor across several states and Canada. Before he knew it, his net worth dramatically rose, and it was only possible through diligent habits.

Now, Shaq too did something similar. He invested in several businesses and even founded Big Chicken, which has been thriving. His steady acquisition of several businesses boosted his net worth to $500 million. However, Junior Bridgeman’s $600 million net worth is much higher. He also left behind Charles Barkley, whose net worth is $60 million.

The consistent design helped Bridgeman amass a net worth enough to purchase a part of his NBA franchise. Furthermore, he also placed importance on the need for financial education for NBA athletes, most of whom reportedly go broke upon retirement. The 70-year-old even served as an NBPA president once, trying to inculcate a program to teach players about his business model.

Even in the modern age, despite the ludicrous contracts players sign, Junior Bridgeman believes it is essential for players to be taught about financial literacy. And to this day, he also continues to be the embodiment of the capabilities players can have if they do use their hard-earned money cleverly.