BOZICH | More than 1,200 celebrate Junior Bridgeman's remarkable loving spirit | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — How do you begin to tell the inspiring story of Junior Bridgeman, a man that multiple NBA stars called their hero, that corporation presidents called the finest businessman around and that celebrities said was a “genius who just happened to play basketball.”

Saturday at Southeast Christian Church, as late morning stretched into mid-afternoon, family members, friends and former University of Louisville basketball teammates poured out their loving memories during a celebration of Bridgeman’s remarkable life.

Bridgeman was 71 when he died March 11 while appearing at a fundraising luncheon for the Boy Scouts in downtown Louisville.

More than 1,200 people attended the public service Saturday, with another 16,000 watching a live-streamed video, according to Southeast Christian Church. More than $300,000 has already been donated in Bridgeman’s memory to the West End School, one of Bridgeman’s primary passions.

Junior Bridgeman.jpg — The late Junior Bridgeman, businessman, philanthropist, former NBA player and University of Louisville great. Image courtesy Ebony magazine.

Former NBA coach and champion Chauncey Billups said the first thing he learned after he joined Bridgeman in the fast-food business in St. Louis was he needed to learn to flip burgers, work the drive-through window and clean toilets.

Billups said one afternoon a group of construction workers stopped for lunch at his Wendy’s. Billups noticed that they quickly recognized him, researched him on their phones and looked at him as if he was a former basketball player who had blown his fortune and was reduced to grilling burgers.

Billups wondered if he should try to explain to the customers that he actually owned the restaurant. But then he defaulted to the process Billups used to make every business decision.

“I thought, ‘What would Junior do?’ “ Billups said.

He returned to flipping burgers.

“Junior became my moral compass,” Billups said. “I’m devastated.”

David Novak, the retired chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, said Bridgeman was “the definition of a truly great man,” who “didn’t just hire people, he hired families.”

Fashion designer and TV personality Star Jones said that her heart still ached while processing the news of Bridgeman’s stunning passing.

“He was more than a legend,” she said. “He was an amazing example of what excellence looks like.”

True. True. And true.

But the stories that resonated with me came from Bridgeman’s brother Sam, only 18 months older, who watched Junior’s entire life unfold as they grew up in East Chicago, in Northwest Indiana.

To understand what made Bridgeman special was to understand his parents — his father and namesake Ulysses Lee Bridgeman and his mother, Delores.

East Chicago was a steel mill town — and that’s where Bridgeman’s father worked. Actually, it was one of several places Mr. Bridgeman worked. To provide for his family, he also cleaned three businesses several mornings a week.

Sam Bridgeman said that when he turned 11 and Junior was 10, their Dad started waking them up at 5 a.m. so his boys could help their father.

Work from 5:30 to 7, attend school, practice sports, do your homework, read the Bible, go to sleep. Then do it again. And again. And again.

“He wanted to make sure we were too tired to get in trouble,” Sam Bridgeman said. “And he told us that if we did get in trouble, we’d better hope that he didn’t come get us.”

There was one other message Ulysses Bridgeman built into his sons while developing Junior’s ceaseless work ethic — the importance of an education.

“He told us that if we didn’t go to college, this is what we would be doing,” Sam Bridgeman said.

Do not overlook the Christian values that Delores Bridgeman developed into her son, values that resonated throughout his life as a husband, father, basketball star, business leader, mentor, philanthropist and friend.

They were active in their church, worshipping every weekend, singing in the choir and sharing important messages from scripture.

“She told us to treat everybody right and she meant everybody,” Sam Bridgeman said. “She said, ‘I might not see you, but God sees you.’

“Love your neighbor as yourself. If you can help somebody, you help them.”

Junior Bridgeman processed that message and carried it throughout his remarkable life — from East Chicago Washington High School to the University of Louisville to the NBA to developing his vast restaurant empire to his purchase of Jet and Ebony magazines to his place as a Coca-Cola bottler to his 10% ownership share of the Milwaukee Bucks to his place on the cover of multiple magazines as a billionaire businessman.

“I’ve heard so many people say that Junior Bridgeman is the finest person they ever knew,” said Bob Russell, the retired senior pastor at Southeast Christian.

“I concur.”

“I never, ever, met a man like him,” Novak said.

That loving and respectful sentiment was demonstrated by the size and diversity of the gathering at Southeast Christian, which came two days after a private service for Bridgeman, prior to his burial at Cave Hill Cemetery Thursday.

Dozens of former University of Louisville basketball players from the Hickman to Dromo to Crum to Pitino eras were joined by Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Mayor Craig Greenberg as well as former U of L football players Eric Wood and Michael Bush.

Bush said he, too leaned on Bridgeman for business advice. He treasured several times when Bridgeman gave him a ride home from the airport. “Just a great person,” Bush said.

Ditto for Bucks’ coach Doc Rivers, who flew from Milwaukee Friday night to demonstrate his immense respect for his friend.

“He’s the best example of an ex-player to ever live,” Rivers said. “He really is. Because he’s not a guy who salary-wise ever made a lot of money.

“But he did a lot of stuff. And then to be where he was at in life was a great lesson for all players, all athletes.”

Actually, a great lesson for everybody.