While being an athlete can be perceived as glamorous from the outside, from the inside, it can be a grueling and hurtful task, despite its many advantages. They not only have to deal with injuries, mental hurdles and physical exhaustion on the court, but also face significant challenges away from the game, particularly when it comes to their social lives and personal relationships.
The road to glory often leads through humble beginnings, so when they manage to make it out and achieve their dreams of playing in top leagues, such as the NBA, they face immense social pressure to financially support everyone who can get close to them.
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Under pressure and emotional blackmail, players often find it difficult to say “no” to anyone remotely close to them who asks for money. That is a battle many athletes go through and struggle to adjust to.
Thanks to that, former NBA players make it their mission to inform younger generations about the dangers of losing money to such individuals. For a 12-year veteran, Junior Bridgeman, it was the staple of his speeches to NBA rookies, offering various financial lessons he himself had learned.
“I wish I had a nickel for every nickel I loaned out when I was playing,” said Bridgeman, quoting Magic Johnson. “These are not family. These are just guys I played with, guys I grew up with. As soon as they’re aware of the money you’re making, it’s a field day in terms of them hitting you up. That was one of the hardest things I had to learn: how to say no.”
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Bridgeman knew the subject
One would be surprised that those words came from Bridgeman, who isn’t a popular name in basketball discourse, and whose career earnings sit at “just” $3 million. However, what most don’t know is that Junior is one of only four former NBA players to reach billionaire status alongside Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Magic Johnson.
At the time of his passing in March 2025, the former sixth man’s net worth was estimated at $1.4 billion, and has since exceeded those numbers. Through his key investments and business ventures, Bridgeman built generational wealth, using his NBA money to get the ball rolling and learning both the positives and negatives of a large financial gain.
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Junior used a quote from Magic that emphasizes the single biggest reason why athletes tend to go broke. Aside from bad investments, players’ tendency to constantly give out handouts, and funding questionable business ideas for friends and family, silently squeezes their bank account to the last drop.
With that, Bridgeman often stressed that having unqualified family members or friends in charge of players’ investments or financial oversight is also a massive driver of going broke. Constant financial exploitation is the biggest off-court problem for every athlete trying to make generational wealth.
Bridgeman’s billion-dollar empire
Like many who achieve financial success, Junior learned valuable lessons along the way, including the consequences of giving out a portion of his wealth to everybody around him.
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Despite his mistakes, Bridgeman’s journey brought even more accomplishments. During the off-seasons of his playing days, the Indiana native worked entry shifts at Wendy’s to learn the business from the ground up. Later on, he scaled his massive franchise holdings to over 450 locations, including those of Wendy’s and Chili’s, before selling them for $250 million in 2016.
Following the release of his franchises, Junior successfully shifted to the beverage industry, founding an independent Coca-Cola bottling and distribution operation that would later surpass $1 billion in annual revenue.
In September 2024, Bridgeman had a full-circle moment after purchasing a 10 percent ownership stake in his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, which valued the franchise at $4 billion.
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Adding to his blossoming portfolio, Bridgeman was also involved in real estate, co-founding the investment firm Manna Capital Partners and joining the group.
After his passing in 2025, Bridgman left behind an enormous financial foundation for his family and many generations to come, proving that an athlete can indeed be more than an athlete.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.