Louisville to Retire Junior Bridgeman's No. 10 Jersey

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another jersey number is heading up into the rafters of the KFC Yum! Center.

The Louisville men's basketball program announced Monday that they will retire Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman’s No. 10 jersey this upcoming season. The ceremony will take place during the Cardinals' home game vs. Memphis on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The upcoming 2025-26 season will be the final one for jersey No. 10, as guard Isaac McKneely is wearing it this year.

Bridgeman, who died of a heart attack earlier this year on March 12, becomes the sixth Louisville men's basketball player to have their jersey retired. He joins No. 2 Russ Smith, No. 8 Charlie Tyra, No. 31 Wes Unseld, No. 35 Darrell Griffith and No. 42 Pervis Ellison.

“Junior Bridgeman will forever be a Louisville Cardinal,” Louisville AD Josh Heird said in a statement. “On the court, he gave us unforgettable moments. Off the court, he carried himself with unmatched humility and class, setting a standard of human excellence that continues to inspire our program every day. Retiring his jersey is not only a tribute to his incredible career, but also a way for Card Nation to say thank you.

"We are especially honored to celebrate this moment with his wife, Doris, their children Ryan, Justin, and Eden, and their families. Junior’s impact reached far beyond basketball. As a brilliant businessman and devoted philanthropist, his quiet yet immense generosity continues to uplift countless lives. His name and number will now hang in our rafters—an enduring symbol of the extraordinary mark he made on Louisville Basketball, this community, and beyond.”

Bridgeman was a two-time MVC Player of the Year for the Cardinals during the 1970's, and a former first round NBA Draft pick who went on to become one of the wealthiest retired athletes in the world following his playing days thanks to his entrepreneurial career.

A native of East Chicago, Ind., Bridgeman played three seasons for Louisville under head coach Denny Crum from 1972-75, getting named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year during his last two seasons as a Cardinal. During the 1974-75 season as a junior, he was named a Second-Team All-American, and helped guided Louisville to their third Final Four in school history.

“Junior Bridgeman was a great basketball player here at UofL, but his contributions to this university and the city of Louisville go far beyond the court,” head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. “He was a brilliant businessman who will always be remembered as one of the most humble, generous and kind people in our community. What he did after his playing career in the business world and in his personal life is inspirational to athletes and non-athletes alike. Retiring #10 is an awesome way to honor the life and legacy of Junior. We will never fully understand the true scope to which Junior helped our city, as he often served and gave anonymously, but I hope that this banner up in the rafters with his name and number will serve as a regular reminder to everyone associated with our program and department to strive for greatness, on and off the court.”

Bridgeman declared for the 1975 NBA Draft, and was drafted by Los Angeles Lakers with No. 8 overall pick in the draft. Three weeks after the draft, he was then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the deal for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He then spent the first nine years of his career with the Bucks, followed by a two-year stint with the Los Angeles Clippers before spending the 1986-87 season - his final in the NBA - back in Milwaukee.

He spent the majority of his career as the sixth-man off the bench, appearing in 849 total games but making just 52 starts. Still, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists over his NBA career. His No. 2 was later retired by the Bucks.

After his playing career concluded, Bridgeman built a fast food empire under Bridgeman Foods Inc., steadily purchasing more than 450 franchise locations of Wendy's and Chili's restaurants. He sold them all to become a distributor for Coca-Cola in 2016, bought the magazines Ebony and Jet in 2020, and purchased a 10 percent stake in the Bucks in September of 2024.

Bridgeman's net worth has soared to over $600 million, according to ESPN. In 2016, Forbes named him as the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world, behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer.

More Cardinals Stories