Bucks legend Junior Bridgeman is buying a stake in team ownership, report says

A Milwaukee Bucks legend is joining the franchise with a significant stake in the team, the latest addition to the team ownership group in recent years, according to a report by CNBC.

Junior Bridgeman, who played 10 seasons with the Bucks across the 1970s and 1980s and has his number retired, is buying a 10% stake in the Bucks.

CNBC cited three sources familiar with the deal. NBA owners will be notified of the sale in a memo Thursday, the report said.

Bridgeman's addition to the ownership team makes the team valued now at $4 billion, CNBC reported.

Who is Junior Bridgeman?

Bridgeman is one of the greatest Bucks players in team history.

Bridgeman joined the Bucks after being part of the massive trade involving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. The move came three weeks after the Lakers selected Bridgeman in the first round of the draft. He went on to enjoy a successful run on many talented Bucks teams, primarily used as a sixth man off the bench.

For 35 seasons, Bridgeman held the record for most games played in a Bucks uniform at 711. Giannis Antetokounmpo passed him in late 2023 and Khris Middleton did this past season.

Bridgeman is seventh in field goals made, ninth in total points, 10th in minutes in franchise history.

Junior Bridgeman's business empire

Bridgeman's post-basketball career has outshined his playing days. He built an empire with Bridgeman Foods that at one point owned over 450 restaurants. His biggest investment was as a franchise owner of Wendy's.

According to a report by Forbes in 2016, he was the fifth-wealthiest retired athlete in 2015. An ESPN report this summer lists his net worth at nearly $600 million.

After he traded off restaurants in 2016, he became a Coca-Cola bottling distributor. And most recently, Bridgeman bought Ebony and Jet magazines .

He was interested in investing in the Bucks when the then-owner Herb Kohl was looking to sell the team in 2014.

Who are the Bucks owners?

Bridgeman's addition to the Bucks ownership team makes his stake the fourth-largest in the team and latest change to the group.

Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan each have about 25%, according to the CNBC report.

The Haslams, the owners of the Cleveland Browns and co-owners of the Columbus Crew of the MLS, bought into the franchise in spring 2023 after purchasing Marc Lasry's share . The Haslam Sports Group paid $800 million for the share — giving the Bucks franchise a value of $3.2 billion, the Journal Sentinel learned at the time.

Edens has been part of the ownership group the longest. He and Lasry bought the team from Herb Kohl in 2014 for $550 million, agreeing to keep the franchise in Milwaukee. The Bucks' value would skyrocket over the last decade as the team built a new arena and have been one of the most consistent winners in the NBA, winning an NBA championship in 2021.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks legend Junior Bridgeman is buying a stake in team ownership, report says