Shaquille O’Neal Responds to Death of Bucks Owner, Star Junior Bridgeman

The Hall of Fame center talked about his friendship with Bridgeman prior to the Bucks taking on the Pacers on Tuesday night.

.

.

.

Junior Bridgeman Junior Bridgeman at the Hermitage Grand Gala Derby Eve Party at Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Ky.

The Milwaukee Bucks got some stunning news prior to taking on the Indiana Pacers in a crucial divisional matchup on Tuesday night.

They got the news that owner Junior Bridgeman had passed away at the age of 71. He was not just the owner of the Bucks, but he played for the franchise for ten of the 12 years that he played in the NBA.

Since September of last year, Bridgeman had owned 10 percent of the Bucks. He had become a very successful businessman once he retired from the NBA, which was how he was able to afford a stake in the Bucks.

Read more: Former Bucks Star Junior Bridgeman Dies at 71

Prior to taking on the Pacers, Shaquille O’Neal talked about his relationship with Bridgeman and what he meant to him personally.

“This really hit hard for me. A lot of people don’t know this, but I’ve patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman. They always tell us stories about 75% of athletes, zero to five years after they’re done playing, go broke. And I never wanted to be that. So, I started looking at people. Michael (Jordan), of course, Magic.”

“But I remember one time a Forbes list came out, and I was like ‘I know them all on this list, all the commercials I do’, and I saw his name. I reached out to him, and I started talking.”

O’Neal saw how successful that Bridgeman was when he retired from the NBA and made it his mission to model his post-playing career after him.

More Bucks news: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Seen Training with Potential No. 1 Draft Pick

It’s clear that Bridgeman had a profound impact on O’Neal when he was finished playing. He maintained a relationship with him throughout the years, and is clearly sad that he is gone.

Bridgeman made an impact on people beyond basketball. That much became clear when O’Neal talked about his personal relationship with him.

Unfortunately, the Bucks were not able to win their first game since he passed. They lost to the Pacers 115-114 on a last-second four-point play from Tyrese Haliburton.

In his NBA career, Bridgeman averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

More Milwaukee Bucks news: Trade Proposal Has Bucks Acquiring Former First-Round Talent This Summer

Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sees Bucks Send Multiple Players Out for Paul George

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.