Ulysses Bridgeman — aka Junior Bridgeman — may not be one of the most famous players to ever grace a basketball court.

However, that really doesn’t matter because it’s what he did after his time in the NBA was over that really made an impact.

At the peak of his career, Junior Bridgeman made $350,000 in a season. And though that’s certainly a respectable salary, it pales in comparison to what modern-day NBA greats like Michael Jordan and LeBron James make.

That said, NBA salaries in the 1970s and the 1980s, in general, were not what they would become in the 21st century.

And while there are many NBA players who lose all their money after they stop playing — with the most infamous example being, perhaps, Dennis Rodman (though, in fairness, it wasn’t his fault) — Bridgeman flew in the face of conventional wisdom and, instead, became a multi-millionaire in his own right.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, he amassed a net worth of $600 million after becoming one of the most successful fast-food franchisees in history. He then turned his fast-food success into soft drink success — and, today, even owns two of the most legendary Black media brands in history.

Let’s take a look at how Junior Bridgeman makes his money.

Editorial note: The net worth listed in this piece is a speculative estimate drawn from a variety of online sources. Additionally, the inflation numbers are also speculative estimates provided by InflationCalculator.com and do not necessarily reflect actual dollar values.

Junior Bridgeman

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