Wendy's had kept Junior Bridgeman in the black for decades, now that you mention it.
Junior Bridgeman - Wikipedia
During the off-seasons of his playing career, Bridgeman worked and learned the business model of Wendy's fast food restaurant franchise. After retiring from the NBA, he invested in the franchise and eventually owned over 100 various Wendy's and Chili's restaurants, before selling in 2016.[9][10] As President and CEO of Bridgeman Foods Inc, in 2017, Bridgeman became a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company,[11] and in 2018, he signed a letter of intent to buy bottling operations in Canada.[11] In December 2020, Bridgeman, via Bridgeman Sports and Media, bought Ebony and Jet for $14 million after the magazines had declared bankruptcy earlier in the year.[12]
Bridgeman is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[13] In 2008, the PGA of America appointed Bridgeman to serve on the PGA Board of Directors.[14] The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame appointed Bridgeman to the board of governors in 2010.[15] Churchill Downs Inc. appointed Bridgeman to the Company's board of directors in 2012.[16] In 2016-2017 Bridgeman was appointed and served on the University of Louisville Board of Trustees.[17][18] Bridgeman is also a key member of the Simmons College of Kentucky Board of Trustees.
Bridgeman is a member of the Louisville megachurch Southeast Christian Church.[19][20] In 2016, Forbes ranked Bridgeman the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer with an estimated income of $32 million.[21]
