NBA players are some of the richest athletes on the planet.
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James are all billionaires thanks to their bumper contracts on the court and savvy business deals off it.
Inside the NBA favorites Charles Barkley ($60 million net worth) and Shaquille O’Neal ($400 million) aren’t doing too badly either, while Kevin Durant ($300 million) and Steph Curry ($180 million) lead the way among active stars.
However, one name that rarely gets a mention in the list of the NBA’s richest players is Junior Bridgeman, who just so happens to be wealthier than Shaq, Barkley, Curry and KD.
The former Milwaukee Bucks star is worth a reported $600 million, despite ‘only’ making around $350,000 a year during his playing days.
The 71-year-old was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the eighth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft.
Weeks later he was traded to the Bucks.
The 6ft 5in forward spent 12 seasons in the NBA, ten of which came for Milwaukee during two separate stints.
By all accounts he was a solid NBA player and averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 849 career games.
He retired in 1987 with career earnings of around $4.2 million and had his No. 2 jersey retired by the Bucks organization.
Like many of his contemporaries, Bridgeman made his fortunes after retiring from the sport.
He used some of his NBA cash to get into the fast-food industry, purchasing a Wendy’s restaurant.
After that, one franchise grew to 160 franchises and before long, he founded Bridgeman Foods, Inc., a company focused on the franchisee model.
By 2016, Bridgeman Foods Inc. also operated more than 120 Chili’s restaurant franchises as well as franchises of Fazoli’s and Blaze Pizza.
That same year, Forbes ranked Bridgeman as the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer.
By 2017, his company became a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company.
Bridgeman also became CEO and president of Coca-Cola Heartland before selling his company.
Nowadays, Bridgeman famously owns Ebony and Jet magazines in the US.
In 2020, the magazines, which focus on news, culture, and entertainment predominantly in the African-American community, declared bankrupcty.
The former NBA pro stepped in and bought the magazines for $14 million through his company, Bridgeman Sports and Media.
“Ebony kind of stood for Black excellence, showing people doing positive things that could benefit everyone,” Bridgeman said. “It just made you feel good knowing that’s where they’re publishing all the stories in the magazine.”
Bridgeman also co-founded Manna Capital Partners, an investment firm.
In 2022, it announced it had partnered with another company to construct and operate an integrated secondary aluminium mill in Los Lunas, New Mexico.
Needless to say, Bridgeman has done pretty well for himself.
The former Bucks star is a perfect example of a player doing better off the court than on it.
His business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit has seen him generate hundreds of millions of dollars and become one of the richest former athletes in the world.
Larger than life Shaq, meanwhile, undoubtedly made a lot of his millions on the court.
He signed a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during his prime in the late ’90s.
‘Dr. O’Neal’ has also made over $200 million in endorsements over the years, partnering with brands like Reebok, Nestlé, Buick, Papa John’s, Hulu and Epson.
