Junior Bridgeman

Milwaukee Bucks, Still Making Big Bucks

“It’s a lot of going back to the same principles I learned as a player and now applying them to the business world.”

Would you be able to guess that Junior Bridgeman is the 2nd richest basketball player ever? His net worth checks in at $600 million, only behind Michael Jordan. Bridgeman spent 12 years in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, reeling in roughly $4 million dollars. Where did the other $596 million come from? Franchising.

“You have to understand that just like in sports, unless you have a one-person shop, you’re only going to do so many things or be so successful as one person. You have to build that team, so it’s a lot of going back to the same principles I learned as a player and now applying them to the business world,” said Junior Bridgeman in an interview with the Founders Series.

Throughout the off-seasons of his basketball career, Bridgeman worked at his local Wendy’s. This proved to be quite beneficial, as Bridgeman acquired valuable knowledge in business and the food industry. He would use this knowledge to accelerate in the business world after his athletic career. Bridgeman went from working at Wendy’s to owning more than 400 of them. In addition, he owns 125 Chilli’s restaurants, making him the largest and most successful NBA player who saw the wisdom of investing in franchising.