Junior Bridgeman was known primarily for his 12-year NBA career, but he was an avid golfer who supported the game as an independent PGA board member.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Junior Bridgeman, a basketball standout who led Louisville to a Final Four, played 12 seasons in the NBA and then launched an even more successful career as a businessman with stakes in publishing, restaurants and the Milwaukee Bucks, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Bridgeman, a billionaire entrepreneur who became a “ significant ” minority owner of the Bucks in 2024, suffered a medical emergency during a fundraiser at Galt House, a hotel in Louisville, according to WDRB News and confirmed by the company that runs Galt House. Bridgeman was taken away in an ambulance by first responders.