LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A public Celebration of Eternal Life has been announced to honor Junior Bridgeman.

Bridgeman collapsed at a luncheon for the Lincoln Heritage Council of the Boy Scouts of America, according to sources with direct knowledge of the incident. The Al J. Schneider Company, which owns the hotel, confirmed the news in a statement.

Ulysses Lee Bridgeman, 71, was born in East Chicago, Indiana, and starred for Denny Crum at Louisville, where he was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1974-75.

The public Celebration of Eternal Life will be held Saturday, March 22 at 11 a.m. at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville.

Bridgeman scored 1,348 points in three seasons with the Cardinals as the program won 72 of 89 games. He led the team to the 1975 Final Four, where they lost a close game to UCLA in overtime in San Diego, California. With a victory, U of L would have played UK for the championship.

The Lakers selected Bridgeman with the No. 8 pick in the 1975 draft and included him in the four-player package they traded to Milwaukee for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Over a dozen seasons, he scored 11,517 points, crediting the coaching he received from Crum and his staff for his successful career.

Bridgeman played for the Bucks from 1975-84 and then spent two years with the Los Angeles Clippers before coming back to Milwaukee for his final NBA season in 1986-87. He ranks seventh in Bucks history in field goals made (4,142), ninth in points (9,892) and 10th in minutes (18,054).

Bridgeman's 711 career games played for Milwaukee ranks him third in franchise history, behind only current Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. His No. 2 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1988.

After his playing career, Bridgeman began investing in restaurants and eventually became owner and CEO of Bridgeman Foods, which operated more than 450 Wendy's and Chili's restaurants in 20 states until 2016. He also has been an independent bottler for Coca-Cola. His family owns Ebony and Jet magazines.

In lieu of flowers, it's asked to honor his memory by supporting West End School in Louisville. Donations can be made online.

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