Former Bucks player Junior Bridgeman buys 10% ownership stake

Former Milwaukee Bucks forward/guard Junior Bridgeman is buying a 10% stake in the NBA franchise, according to CNBC’s Michael Ozanian and Jessica Golden.

Former Milwaukee Bucks star Junior Bridgeman receives 15% preferred limited partner discount

NBA owners will be notified of the sale in a memo on Thursday, other sources added. According to multiple reports, the sources asked not to be identified because the full details have not yet been made public.

Bridgeman, the current owner of Ebony and Jet magazines, will get a 15% preferred limited partner discount, or a valuation of $3.4 billion, to buy a share of the team. The deal would value the Bucks at $4 billion.

The richest players in the NBA look like this:

▪️MJ
▪️ Magic
▪️Lebron
▪️ Junior Brugman

Many of you don’t know the 4th name, he averaged 13 points per game and was never an All-Star…

He now has a net worth of $600 million and is the newest owner of the Bucks

This is the story of Junior Bridgeman ⬇️ photo.twitter.com/Btm6nA4xSy

— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) September 12, 2024

In April 2023, Marc Lasry sold his 25% stake in the Bucks to the billionaire Haslam family. At the time, the team was valued at about $3.2 billion. Bridgeman’s discount highlights the $800,000 difference in value.

According to a recent profile by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, the East Chicago native has a net worth of nearly $600 million. His other business deals include Wendy’s and Chili’s restaurants, along with Heartland Coca-Cola.

In 2016, Forbes ranked Bridgeman as the fourth-richest retired athlete in the world, with an estimated income of $32 million. He was behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer.

Bridgeman played 10 NBA seasons with Milwaukee from 1975-84, returning for one final campaign in 1986-87

Bridgeman, who turns 71 on Sept. 17, began and ended his NBA career with the Bucks. He played 10 seasons (1975-84 and 1986-87) with Milwaukee and spent 12 seasons (1975-87) in the NBA.

A 6-foot-5 forward/guard, he was selected eighth overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1975 draft out of Louisville. He was subsequently sent to Milwaukee as part of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade.

In 849 regular-season NBA games (52 as a starter), he averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 25 minutes per game. He also shot 47.5% from the field and 84.6% at the free-throw line.

After nine consecutive seasons with the Bucks, the team traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1984. Bridgeman returned to Milwaukee for the 1986–87 season, which would be his last. He retired after the season, having played 711 games for the franchise.

That stood as the all-time record until Giannis Antetokounmpo broke it in 2023. With 711 games, Bridgeman now sits at No. 3 on the list, as Khris Middleton has played 712 games for the Bucks.

Bridgeman’s number 2 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1988.