How Junior Bridgeman Became The 2nd Richest NBA Player Ever
Junior Bridgeman- THE COCA COLA PARTNERSHIP
Heartland Coca-Cola is proud to distribute and produce the highest quality and best tasting Coca-Cola beverages. In addition to these products we also distribute products from Monster Energy and BODYARMOR, and Dr. Pepper in certain areas of our territories.
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Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is the most popular soft drink in history, as well as the best-known brand in the world.
Powerade
Naturally flavored sports drink with vitamins B3, B6, and B12. POWERADE is available in ten flavors: Mountain Berry Blast, Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime, Orange, Strawberry Lemonade, Melon, White Cherry, Lemonade, Tropical Mango and Grape.
Vitamin Water
Vitaminwater is a great tasting, nutrient enhanced water beverage with electrolytes and vitamins. It provides an excellent source of C and key B vitamins. Vitaminwater is available in nine varieties.
smartwater
Inspired by the clouds, smartwater is a vapor-distilled water with electrolytes added for taste.
AHA Sparkling Water
AHA Sparkling Water is available in 8 delicious flavor pairings that each have a bold aroma and taste, all with no sweeteners, no calories and no sodium. Some even have a spark of caffeine!
Gold Peak Tea
Gold Peak Tea is made with high quality tea leaves picked for peak flavor – with a home-brewed taste you’ll love.
Minute Maid
Minute Maid orange juice and orange juice blends start with the goodness of perfectly ripe, fresh oranges for delicious taste, and they’re a good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium. That way you can always feel good about what’s in your glass.
Hubert’s Lemonade
These tasty sun-ripened lemons were squeezed to please and blended to create the perfect refreshingly irresistible balance of sweet, tart and delicious. Of course, our lemonade is also Non-GMO Project Verified.
Monster Energy
Tear into a can of the meanest energy drink on the planet, Monster Energy. It`s the ideal combo of the right ingredients in the right proportion to deliver the big bad buzz that only Monster can. Monster packs a powerful punch but has a smooth flavor.
BODYARMOR
A refreshing sports drink, no artificial sweeteners or dyes, also available in a Lyte version or a sports water.
On April 20, 2016, The Coca-Cola Company announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to grant territories to the Coca-Cola system’s newest bottling partner, Junior Bridgeman. This began the exciting journey of the Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
Junior Bridgeman’s relationship with Coca-Cola began over thirty years ago when he was playing basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks. During the off season he would volunteer at local basketball clinics sponsored by Coke. Giving back to the community has always been very important to him.
Bridgeman retired from the NBA in 1987 after 12 successful years in the league. He played in 711 games for the Bucks, still the most in franchise history. Junior then established his business interests by purchasing three Wendy’s franchises. He worked all facets of the business from flipping burgers to mopping the floors. He recognized very early that the key to a successful business was to take care of your people and your customers.
He went on to become the founder of a Louisville, Kentucky, company named Manna Inc., and grew his portfolio of businesses to become one of the largest restaurant franchise operators in the country. As you might expect, Junior’s restaurants were a great partner with Coca-Cola.
Junior took his relationship with Coca-Cola one step further with the formation of the Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company on February 25, 2017. The company services the Kansas, Missouri, and Southern Illinois territories.
Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company will continue the 100+ year traditions of the Coca-Cola Company while leveraging our heritage of putting people first, serving our local communities, and providing great brands.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1953 East Chicago, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Washington (East Chicago, Indiana) |
| College | Louisville (1972–1975) |
| NBA draft | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Playing career | 1975–1987 |
| Position | Small forward / Shooting guard |
| Number | 2 |
| Career history | |
| 1975–1984 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1984–1986 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1986–1987 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 11,517 (13.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,995 (3.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,066 (2.4 apg) |
Stats  |
|
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman (born September 17, 1953) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Bridgeman played in the National Basketball League (NBA) for twelve years from 1975 until 1987, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks. Bridgeman is the current owner of Ebony and Jet magazines.
The list of the richest players in NBA history is topped by the usual suspects.
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Shaquille O’Neal occupy a place among the game’s all-time greats while also possessing the largest bank accounts.
At No. 2, behind MJ, is Junior Bridgeman.
Bridgeman isn’t in the same class as these legends on the court. That isn’t to say he was a bad player. In fact, he was solid.
His offseasons were a bit odd for an NBA player. He spent them working at the local Wendy’s restaurant, learning the business inside and out.
It was the launching point of an astounding fortune.
Junior Bridgeman Basketball Career
Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman was born in East Chicago, Indiana on September 17, 1953. His success at Washington High School, where the basketball team went undefeated and won the Indiana state championship in his junior year, earned him a scholarship to the University of Louisville.
Under head coach Denny Crum, Bridgeman was the focal point of the Cardinals’ attack. In three varsity seasons, he won the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice and led the team to the 1975 Final Four. UL fell to eventual champion UCLA 75-74.
For his college career, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Bridgeman was the eighth-overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1975 NBA Draft. He was barely a Laker before he was included in the huge trade that sent Milwaukee Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to LA. Bridgeman joined the Bucks and played a majority of his career in Milwaukee.
— No. 2 Retired by Milwaukee Bucks
— Second-Team All-American – USBWA (1975)
— Third-Team All-American – UPI (1975)
— 2x MVC Player of the Year
— Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award (2001)
Bridgeman was a sixth man for most of his playing career. He was traded from Milwaukee to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1984. He played two years in LA before returning to Wisconsin and retiring with the Bucks in 1987.
In 12 seasons, Bridgeman averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and shot 84.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Bridgeman’s highest salary was $350,000, culminating in a total of $4,200,000 career earnings. He served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 1985-88.
The longtime Buck was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Junior Bridgeman Business Career
After his NBA career, Bridgeman took that offseason experience and accelerated into the business world. He steadily built his portfolio of Wendy’s franchises under Bridgeman Foods Inc. He added Chili’s to the mix and the company eventually grew to more than 160 Wendy’s and 120 Chili’s restaurants.
The former professional basketball player took on some Fazoli’s and Blade’s Pizza restaurant franchises as well. At its peak, the company employed over 11,000 people and brought in over $530 million in annual revenue. He sold in 2016.
Following major success in the fast-food business, Junior is now a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company. He serves as the President and CEO of Heartland Coca-Cola and runs its production plant in Lenexa, Kansas, along with its 18 distribution centers with his son Justin.
Bridgeman serves on the PGA Board of Directors, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame board of governors, and the Churchill Downs Inc. board of directors.
The NBA today announced the formation of NBA Africa, a new entity that will conduct the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League.
Silver said the current enterprise value of NBA Africa is “nearly $1 billion,” though amounts of the league and individual investments were not disclosed. The league said some of its primary areas of focus with the venture are to grow the BAL and to launch additional NBA academies in Africa.
“The growth and development is something we’re all enormously proud of,” Silver said.
There are at least 55 players currently in the NBA who were either born in Africa or have a parent from there.
The NBA has played three summer exhibitions in Africa in recent years and there are hopes for more, but there are no firm plans yet to bring preseason or regular season games to the continent.
“Louisville businessman and basketball great Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman”, is investing in the NBA’s new NBA Africa effort.
This new entity will conduct the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League – a partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). It’s the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America.
Investors include former NBA players Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill and Joakim Noah.
Bridgeman played his college years at the University of Louisville before spending most of his professional career with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.
He told Louisville Business First by phone Tuesday that he still knows a lot of people around the NBA and had been watching the league’s expansion into China when he learned of the plans for Africa.
“I had been over in China and saw what they were doing in China. They were really trying to make the game a real international game,” Bridgeman said of the increased move by the NBA into other parts of the world.
Taking the NBA global is something that appeals to Bridgeman, and he said discussions around becoming an investor started a few months ago. He doesn’t expect to be a highly active investor in NBA Africa, as the league is well-positioned to lead this effort, but he said his involvement could include trips to Africa as an ambassador for the initiative.
“I look forward to seeing what they’re going to do on a new continent,” he said. “It should be exciting.”
The inaugural Basketball Africa League season, featuring 12 of the top club teams from 12 African countries, is underway in Kigali, Rwanda. The first BAL Finals will be held Sunday, May 30.
“This is a historic day for basketball in Africa, and I’m honored to join this special group of leaders who are committed to the continent and to using the game to improve people’s lives, Mutombo said in a news release. “I’m fortunate to have been among the first players from Africa to make an impact in the NBA, and because of the commitment of these individuals, countless more players will have the opportunity to follow in my footsteps in the years ahead.”
Bridgeman became a fast-food restaurant magnate after retiring from the NBA in 1987. He sold his restaurant interests and in 2017 launched Kansas-based Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and has become one of the most successful former NBA players in the business world.
Bridgeman Sports and Media, a company owned by Bridgeman, successfully bid $14 million for Ebony Media Operations in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston last year.
He was named to Louisville Business First’s inaugural Power 50 list earlier this year.
