NBA Legend Dead At 71 After Suffering Medical Emergency

The NBA community was dealt a devastating blow this Tuesday. Former Milwaukee Bucks star Junior Bridgeman has died at the age of 71. 

Bridgeman reportedly suffered a medical emergency during the 45th Annual Leadership Luncheon on Scouting on Tuesday. He was speaking to WLKY's Kent Taylor when he said he thought he was having a heart attack. Shortly after being taken away in an ambulance, it was announced that he passed away.

The company that owns the The Galt House, which hosted this Tuesday's event, confirmed this heartbreaking news. 

Bridgeman, who has his No. 2 retired by the Bucks, played in the NBA from 1975-1987. He averaged 13.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Prior to going pro, he was a two-time conference player of the year at Louisville. 

"Junior Bridgeman was an incredible family man, community leader, business executive and tremendous representative and supporter of the University of Louisville. But more than that, he embodied the kindness and humanity that we should all seek in ourselves," Louisville athletic director Josh Heird said in a statement. "Junior used his immense talents and successes in both business and sport to ensure that his life had a positive impact. He cared deeply about making the world a better place for all of us. His life is woven into the fabric of the University of Louisville's history and story, as a player, as a leader and as a generous supporter of Louisville Athletics and the University. We will be forever indebted to him for all that he did for our student-athletes, our campus, and most importantly, the Louisville community. Words cannot fully express our enormous sense of loss today. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family, friends, colleagues, and former teammates during this difficult time."