Junior Bridgeman has passed away at the age of 71. Bridgeman suffered a medical emergency during a fundraiser at Galt House, a hotel in Louisville, according to WDRB News and confirmed by the company that runs Galt House. Bridgeman was then taken away in an ambulance by first responders.
Bridgeman played for Louisville from 1972-1975 before becoming a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He went on to build a business empire first with fast food restaurants and then becoming a Coca-Cola bottling distributor across three states and into Canada. Bridgeman bought a 10 percent stake in the Bucks in 2024.
“Tough day, just really a tough day,” Doc Rivers said. “He is the exact model that the league should use every day when they’re talking to our young players.”
Rivers added: “We had a relationship, but I didn’t talk to him a lot. And then all of a sudden he’s back in (to ownership). — The last conversation I had with Junior was about using him to mentor the young players and trying to figure out a way of doing that and we never got to it, you know, because we thought there was time.”
