From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman was born in East Chicago, Indiana. He was 1975 graduate of the University of Louisville, where the 6' 5" forward played for Coach Denny Crum's Cardinals. In 1972 the Cardinals were ranked 4th in the country and played in the Final Four.

In 1975 Bridgeman was drafted 8th in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers, then  traded immediately to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar deal, where he played from 1975–1984 and 1986–1987 as a standout sixth man. (From 1984-1886, he played for the Los Angeles Clippers.) He averaged 13.6 points and 3.5 rebounds over his career and had his No. 2 jersey retired by the Bucks, with whom he finished his career in 1988; the Bucks retired his jersey number. Jr. Bridgeman held the Bucks' team record for most games played, playing in 849 career regular-season games, missing only two games in his first five seasons with the Bucks.

Bridgeman was also owner of more than 150 Wendy's Restaurants, including several in Louisville, KY. His franchise was one of the largest Wendy's franchises in the U.S.

In 2003 Bridgeman was named chairman of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. He also served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 1985-1988.  

Ulysses Lee Bridgeman, Jr. died in Louisville, KY in 2025 and is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery. (See more at his entry at Find a Grave, and his obituaries at the  ESPN website and the A.D. Porter and Sons Funeral Home website.) He was the son of Ulysses Sr. and Dolores C. Meaders.

For more see Basketball biographies: 434 U.S. players, coaches and contributors to the game, 1891-1990, by M. Taragano and M. Pitsch; his statistics at the Basketball Reference website; "Bridgeman likely to lead trustees," Courier Journal, 8/29/2003; P. King, "Former NBA star scores on Wendy's team," Nation's Restaurant News, vol. 38, issue 34, p. 70; and many other online resources.