How do you Cope/Deal With a Player you PC Passing Away?
 

Long story short, I PC Junior Bridgeman. Yesterday he passed away suddenly after becoming ill at a speaking engagement. He was someone I studied and admired as a mentor for his actions on and off the basketball court.
I was hoping to meet him at an event this summer but obviously that’s not happening now.
The questions I have now are, What do I do now? Like getting the collection out now gives me a feeling of memorializing/worshipping a dead relative. Don’t get me wrong, dude was cool but he wasn’t family. Do I donate the cards to a cause he was passionate about? Do I sit and wait and let my grief process? What would you do?


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I can't tell if this is a serious thread or not

[QUOTE=jcardstore;19843310]I can't tell if this is a serious thread or not[/QUOTE]


I am being genuine. I have never been in this headspace before as a collector.


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My advice is do nothing for a while. It sounds like you’re grieving a loss. Even if it wasn’t family, it was someone of importance to you.

Time heals and you’ll have a more clear perspective of what the right thing is for you. Acting in the moment now means you could be parting with a collection that brings you fond memories. It would be hard to replace and you could regret it. You may also find later that it doesn’t do that. At which point parting with the collection and sharing it will others will feel totally fine. Don’t be in a rush.

This is weird

[QUOTE=gymratcards;19843343]My advice is do nothing for a while. It sounds like you’re grieving a loss. Even if it wasn’t family, it was someone of importance to you.

Time heals and you’ll have a more clear perspective of what the right thing is for you. Acting in the moment now means you could be parting with a collection that brings you fond memories. It would be hard to replace and you could regret it. You may also find later that it doesn’t do that. At which point parting with the collection and sharing it will others will feel totally fine. Don’t be in a rush.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this.

Give yourself time. I imagine your admiration won't fade for him because he passed, but your discomfort collecting a dead person might. After some time has passed if you still feel odd doing it, move the collection in whatever capacity you see fit. If you feel alright after some processing time, you can keep it and keep adding to your collection. Good luck regardless of what you decide!

I love it here.

RIP Junior Bridgeman

Pretty fascinating life story. Crazy how he parlayed a decent NBA career into significant wealth in the corporate world.

I vote funeral pyre

w/ a live recording on youtube.

[QUOTE=gymratcards;19843343]My advice is do nothing for a while. It sounds like you’re grieving a loss. Even if it wasn’t family, it was someone of importance to you.

Time heals and you’ll have a more clear perspective of what the right thing is for you. Acting in the moment now means you could be parting with a collection that brings you fond memories. It would be hard to replace and you could regret it. You may also find later that it doesn’t do that. At which point parting with the collection and sharing it will others will feel totally fine. Don’t be in a rush.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=volblorx8634;19843414]I agree with this.

Give yourself time. I imagine your admiration won't fade for him because he passed, but your discomfort collecting a dead person might. After some time has passed if you still feel odd doing it, move the collection in whatever capacity you see fit. If you feel alright after some processing time, you can keep it and keep adding to your collection. Good luck regardless of what you decide![/QUOTE]
I appreciate you both. Thank you for the time and advice.

[QUOTE=codered;19843490]RIP Junior Bridgeman

Pretty fascinating life story. Crazy how he parlayed a decent NBA career into significant wealth in the corporate world.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. Top 3 richest former NBA players of all time and the only one where none of it came from NBA endorsements. The big corporate moves are publicized the most.
Even cooler was his generosity with his time and resources off of the court. Nearly any and every charitable cause that helped children here locally Junior was involved and invested. University of Louisville, West End School, Muhammad Ali Center, Blessings in a Backpack, Scouts, and more. Just a calm cool confidence about him and a huge advocate for opportunity and investment in the future.
A helluva legacy for a kid that grew up in a blue collar family from in East Chicago.
RIP Junior

The autographs are worth more now.

[url]https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2025/03/12/shaquille-oneal-credits-junior-bridgeman-as-role-model-in-business/82308920007/[/url]

[QUOTE][B]Shaq credits Junior Bridgeman as business role model: 'He gave me all his secrets'[/B]
​
Junior Bridgeman, who died Tuesday, was one of the most successful retired athletes in the world. Shaquille O'Neal said he reached out to Bridgeman to learn about being an entrepreneur.

First, it was Five Guys.

Then Papa John's, Krispy Kreme and Auntie Anne's.

There was 'Luv Shaq' vodka and most recently, Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies, an oversized gummy candy shaped like the bald head of an NBA legend.

When Shaquille O'Neal retired from the NBA in 2011, he could count four championship rings and three NBA Final MVPs in his 19 seasons. He made more than $286 million on the court.

Since his playing days, his estimated net worth is more than $500 million. And he credits longtime Louisvillian Junior Bridgeman for his successful entrepreneurial playbook.

Bridgeman, who died Tuesday in Louisville, became one of the most successful retired athletes in the world. Last month, Forbes profiled Bridgeman, revealing the former Milwaukee Bucks player — and new co-owner of the team —was now a billionaire.

O'Neal spoke about Bridgeman's impact on his career during NBA on TNT as Bridgeman's team, the Milwaukee Bucks, fell to the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 115-114, Tuesday night.

"This one really hit hard for me," O'Neal said. "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 how 75% of athletes, zero to five years after they’re done playing, go broke. And I never wanted to be that.

"So I always started looking at people, Michael of course, Magic, but I remember one time the Forbes list came out … I saw (Bridgeman's) name, I reached out to him, we started talking … I actually just talked to him the other day, because we were getting ready to do business."

Bridgeman built up a restaurant franchise empire spanning hundreds of locations, including Wendy's, Chili's and Fazoli's.

[B]At one point, he was the nationa's second-largest Wendy's franchise owner, with more than 250 restaurants. He also owned 125 Chili's restaurants, 45 Fannie May Chocolate stores and numerous other franchises.[/B]

Today, it could be argued that O'Neal is one of the most visible brands in sports, with titles like Chief Fun Officer for Carnival Cruise Line or Dunk Man for Reebok, Shaq-A-Licious for Hersheys, Tool Shaq or Home Depot and, of course, Shaqtin' A Fool for TNT.

And who can forget Liquid Shaq, whose face melted, for Gold Bond.

"This one really hit hard for me, because he was definitely somebody that I looked up to," he said. "I know I get a lot of credit, you do this, you do that. If it wasn’t for Bridgeman, I wouldn’t have known where to start."

He also recalled spending time at the Kentucky Derby Eve galas that Bridgeman and his family hosted.

"He was so nice to me. I used to go to his functions that he held during the Derby, in Louisville. Just a nice, humble young man, and he gave me all his secrets … He opened the book," Shaq said. "It's actually how I got into Papa John's also, because he lives in Louisville ...

"Definitely a dear friend. I got the news at home, and I had to sit down for a while," he said. "The Bridgeman family, my condolences go out. This one hurts a lot."[/QUOTE]

You keep collecting!