John Salley has done a lot, both on and off the court.
The near-7ft former NBA star was the first player in league history to win championships with three different franchises, as well as the first player in the NBA to win a championship in three different decades.
Salley made a name for himself in Detroit and won two chipsGettyAnd he won his titles playing alongside some of the greats of the game, while also having a stint in Europe at Greek side Panathinaikos. This move to Europe also coincided with an appearance in 1995 hit Bad Boys with Will Smith.
After being drafted out of Georgia Tech with the 11th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, Salley made a name for himself as a member of the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons.
Chuck Daly’s brutal roster, spearheaded by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman, were infamous for their physical playing style and roughing Michel Jordan up in the playoffs with their ‘Jordan Rules’.
‘Jordan Rules’ created a Jordan-Isiah Thomas beef so intense that it threatened to derail the 1992 Dream Team.
Things got so heated during that time that Salley admitted to carrying a gun around with him everywhere when he played for the Pistons.
“When I was in Detroit, I always had a gun,” he told Vlad TV. “Even though I was with my brothers and we had security, I always carried my gun. I’m not saying I was right but I was ready.”
The power forward/center won back-to-back titles with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990 before joining the Heat and Raptors.
He also admitted to carrying a gun with him during his time in Miami.
“When I got to Miami, my wife then got a concealed weapons license and she was like, ‘I’ll carry the pistol,”‘ Salley said.
“So, for some people, we’re Americans, we feel safer with guns. Whether people think it’s right, this is the culture. People feel safer with guns. I felt safer carrying a gun at times than when I didn’t.”‘
In the 1995-1996 season, he joined ’92 Dream Team icon Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to help them win a third straight world title.
Salley played against MJ before joining the Bulls and helping him win a championshipX@johnsalley Salley won a title with Kobe and Shaq in 2000 – his fourth overallGettySalley will be best remembered for his time as part of the legendary Bulls dynasty of the 1990s.
He was part of the team that went 72-10 and delivered a championship in arguably the greatest single season ever.
“It was like being with The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson at the same time,” he remembered of that time.
“I remember we pulled up to a hotel in New York, The Plaza. I have walked around it, it was right opposite Central Park. We pulled up from the back, I didn’t even know there was a back. We got ushered in and we went upstairs and it was this unbelievable layout. I thought I was at a gala. They handed us the keys and my room, I had a huge room! I thought I was balling. But Michael, Dennis, Scottie, and Phil had suites upstairs…
Salley averaged 2.1 points and 2.5 rebounds with the Bulls.
After spending time overseas in 1996, Salley returned to The Association in 1999. He joined the formidable Los Angeles Lakers spearheaded by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and coached by his former Bulls mentor, Phil Jackson.
He recently spoke about what Kobe was like.
“I love Kobe. You know, I used to go eat with Kob. TGI Fridays, and we would watch film. And I went to the studio with him just to hear his music. I thought it was pretty good compared to what it was,” “Spider” recalled.
“This is the funniest thing, when I watched him, he was, and everybody’s telling the same story, he was the most intense person all the time.”
“He was the best, man. Scary too, bro. He was scary to the point where he knew every single piece of the game. You know when they show that Dream Team, when he’s on the Redeem Team, right? You see how they revered him and how people were afraid of him,” Salley continued.
Salley was a back-up for Shaq when the loaded Lakers outgunned the plucky Pacers during the 2000 NBA Finals.
He got his hands on the fourth Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy of his career and decided to go out on a high.
Salley played with some all-timers, but maintains MJ is the unequivocal GOAT.
Salley also said one was like a NASCAR team and the other was like a Formula One car.
“I said, ‘Michael Jordan is Tide. Kobe is Tide Winterfresh. And LeBron is Tide with ‘pow!’ in soap,” Salley stated. “If you were doing soap detergent — Michael’s the original.
Salley won alongside Shaq and KobeGettyThe former basketball enforcer has had quite the career change since retiring.
These days, Salley is a vegan activist, chef, wellness entrepreneur and public speaker.
Speaking about his decision to go vegan, he once said: “I decided to go vegan in 1991. My coach, at the time told me I had high cholesterol. I was one of the three youngest guys on the team, and I had cholesterol higher than the oldest guys on the squad.
“Before going vegan, for about 15 years, I was what I would call a lying to myself vegetarian. By lying, I mean I would eat Turkey on Thanksgiving and special occasions. I would eat shrimp and lobster and tell myself I could be a pescatarian. You keep coming up with all these different ways to defend that you’re not being true to yourself.
“At the age of 40, I decided to stop lying to myself. Finally, at 42, I stopped lying about food and lying to myself when I became a very focused vegan. And I have been focused on veganism now for 16 years.
Talking about his diet, Salley said: “My current diet is a plant-based diet. It is not only plant-based, it’s almost raw. I have eliminated a lot of oils out of my diet. I have eliminated as much olive oil as possible…. Mostly the vegan food I’m eating, the cooked food, is just cooked vegetables a little bit over 118 (degrees F). I’m at the point where I am making my own food as much as possible.”
As a wellness advocate, Salley is a frequent speaker at VegFest’s across the USA. One of John’s missions in life is to reportedly continue to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits.
As a result, the 60-year-old is an investor in several vegan-based companies.
Salley is passionate about veganism and is involved with many vegan-based companiesGetty He has appeared in adverts for PETAX@johnsalley“Everything I do, all the companies I work with, all the plans, align with my eco-vegan live-and-let-live mentally,” he said.
Salley is involved with Mother Plucker, a vegan chicken concept and fast-food restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves plant-based chicken tenders.
“I thought Mother Plucker was the greatest thing,” Salley told VegNews.
Salley is passionate about his lifestyle and has appeared in PETA’s testimonial videos over the years.
He also became the official spokesperson for a natural supplements line called VirMax and even once encouraged former US First Lady Michelle Obama to go vegan “for the planet.”
With a passion for real food, wine and spirits, Salley is partner in the label “Vegan Vine” in partnership with Clos LaChance Winery.
He also takes an interest in the cannabis industry, launching his own cannabis brand Deuces22 and taking an ownership stake in the cannabis testing company GreenSpace Labs.
It’s been an unusual path for Salley but one that has seen him reap the rewards of his hard work on the NBA hardwood.
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