Junior Bridgeman, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1975 to 1984, laughed. What the woman didn’t know was that the recently-retired Bridgeman wasn’t merely working at that Wendy’s location. The 6-foot-5 former wing owned it — and others across the city. But Bridgeman understood her point. Salaries for players then weren’t that high by today’s standards. In Bridgeman’s 12-season career, which included a stint with the LA Clippers, he made about $2.95 million and never more than $350,000 in a season. After his career, he built a fast-food empire that, at its peak, totaled more than 450 restaurants nationwide. He became a Coca-Cola bottling distributor with territory across three states and into Canada. He bought Ebony and Jet magazines. His estimated net worth soared to nearly $600 million, behind just Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, among NBA players.