Yum! Center Louisville vs. Michigan 12-3-2019 Photo by William Caudill, TheCrunchZone.com

Cards to Retire Junior Bridgeman’s No. 10 Jersey

Mark BlankenbakerOctober 6, 2025

The University of Louisville will retire men’s basketball legend Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman’s No.10 jersey number on Dec. 13 during a ceremony at the Cardinals’ home game against Memphis, Vice President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced Monday.

Bridgeman’s No. 10 will be the sixth number retired in the Louisville men’s basketball program, joining No. 2 Russ Smith (2010-2014 at UofL), No. 8 Charlie Tyra (1953-57), No. 31 Wes Unseld (1965-68), No. 35 Darrell Griffith (1979-80) and No. 42 Pervis Ellison (1985-89).

“Junior Bridgeman will forever be a Louisville Cardinal,” said Heird. “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.”

“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,” said men’s basketball head coach Pat Kelsey. “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.”

“Our family is deeply humbled by this honor,” said the Bridgeman family. “Louisville has always held a special place in our hearts – it’s where faith, hard work and community came together to shape so much of our story. We’re grateful to the University for recognizing Junior in this way and we accept this moment not just as a celebration of one man, but as a reflection of all those who have poured into him and into our family over the years. We give thanks for the opportunity to continue serving a city and university that have given us so much.”

Bridgeman was a top 30 career scorer for the Cardinals, earning All-American honors in 1975 while leading Louisville to the Final Four. His number was previously one of UofL’s 20 honored jerseys in its basketball history.

In three seasons (1972-75) in The Ville, Bridgeman scored 1,348 career points (29^th at UofL) and grabbed 657 rebounds. His 15.5 points per game career scoring average still ranks among the top 15 in school history.

Bridgeman, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (1974 and 1975) helped the Cardinals reach the 1975 NCAA Final Four and guided the program to a pair of MVC titles during his playing career.

An All-MVC selection in each of his three seasons, Bridgeman guided to the Cards to a 28-3 record in 1975, falling 75-74 to eventual national champion UCLA in the NCAA Final Four in San Diego, Calif.

For his efforts, Bridgeman was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team and still holds the school record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game when he scored 36 points against Rutgers in 1975. That season, Bridgeman averaged 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and was voted a USWBA second team All-American.

In his junior season, Bridgeman averaged a team-best 16.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and was considered one of the nation’s top rebounding guards.

Following his career at UofL, Bridgeman was selected as the eighth player overall in the 1975 NBA Draft of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later dealt that year to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley.

Bridgeman went on to play 12 seasons with the Bucks (1975-84, 86-87) and the Los Angeles Clippers. He scored 11,517 points (13.6 scoring average) in his professional career. His number 2 jersey is one of the current retired numbers by the Bucks’ organization.

A native of East Chicago, Ind., Bridgeman played in 849 games during his NBA career, 711 coming with the Bucks.

Following his basketball career, Bridgeman served numerous years on the UofL Board of Trustees and ULAA boards. He was also inducted into UofL Athletic Hall of Fame. He served as the National Basketball Players Association president from 1985 to 1988.

In 2000, Bridgeman was named an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner, which is awarded every year by the NCAA to recognize six distinguished former student athletes on their 25th anniversary as college graduates.

Bridgeman served the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for 15 years, eight of those as Vice Chairman of the Board. In 2024, the Hall of Fame bestowed him with a “Life Trustee” designation, the highest honor a Board member can receive, reflecting his long-term and passionate commitment to the organization.

Bridgeman also became a minority owner in his longtime NBA team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the fall of 2024.

The No. 10 will be worn for one final season in 2025-26 by senior guard Isaac McKneely.