John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player,

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

host, and actor. He was the first player in

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry (; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any pla ...

, Danny Green, and

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

), as well as the first player in the NBA to win a championship in three different decades (since joined by

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

). After being drafted in the first round out of

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

in the 1986 NBA draft, the -tall Salley played both

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

and

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

and

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He was a long-time host of the former

Fox Sports Net Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

show ''

The Best Damn Sports Show Period ''The Best Damn Sports Show Period'' was an American sports television show that aired on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertai ...

''. He is a vegan activist, chef, and wellness entrepreneur.

Early life and college career

Salley was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Salley played on the basketball team at

Canarsie High School Canarsie High School, which opened in 1964, is a defunct public high school in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Canarsie in New York City. Closed in 2011, the building currently operates as Canarsie Educational Campus, housing several smaller high sch ...

in Brooklyn. He is a 1988 graduate of

's College of Management. He helped the Yellow Jackets win the 1985 ACC Championship, they also advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He left in 1986 as Tech's all-time leader in blocked shots. Salley holds Georgia Tech's personal fouls record, and has had his jersey number 22 retired, a very rare honor in college basketball.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons

Salley was drafted by the

in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft out of

. After joining the Pistons, he became close friends with Adrian Dantley, who taught him proper nutrition, how to exercise, and how to conduct himself off the court. Salley, for his part, called Dantley "The Teacher". Salley would become good friends with comedian

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

and made several appearances at comedy clubs in the off-season. In 1989 and 1990, he played on two Pistons NBA championship teams. He is among the Pistons' all-time leaders in blocked shots. Under the coaching of Chuck Daly, Salley was part of the Pistons era that featured three consecutive NBA finals appearances. The team's defense-oriented style of play earned them the nickname of the NBA's "Bad Boys", with Salley playing alongside

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding ...

, Bill Laimbeer, James Edwards, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas,

Rick Mahorn Derrick Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played power forward and center for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets of the National Basket ...

and Dantley. After losing the

1988 NBA Finals The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1987–88 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference ...

in seven games to the Lakers, the Pistons turned it around to sweep the Lakers in four games in 1989. Salley and the Pistons repeated in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, defeating the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

in five games. The Pistons' run came to an end when the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

-led

swept them in four games in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals; following game four, while most of the Pistons players chose to return to the locker room rather than congratulate the new Eastern Conference champions, Salley was one of the few who stayed on the court as the game ended to congratulate the Bulls.

Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors

Salley was traded to the

in 1992. In the 1995 NBA expansion draft he was selected by the inaugural Toronto Raptors team after being made available by the Heat. In February 1996, he negotiated a buyout of his contract and was waived thus ending his stint with the Raptors during which he averaged 19.3 minutes and 6 points per game.

Chicago Bulls

Free of his Raptors contract, in early March 1996, Salley signed a 10-day contract with the

, joining the roster with

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč, nicknamed ''“The Waiter”'' (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian-American former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful perio ...

, and former Pistons teammates

and James Edwards. Following another 10-day contract right after the first one ended, the Bulls signed Salley as a free agent and he spent the rest of the season with the team. The 1995–96 Bulls achieved a record-breaking 72-win season, the best-ever regular-season record at the time, later surpassed by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors at 73–9. Salley would win his third NBA championship in June, playing sparingly in the 1996 NBA Finals.

One month with Panathinaikos

In September 1996, thirty-two-year-old Salley came out of what turned out to be only a three-month retirement and went to play in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, where he joined the reigning EuroLeague champions

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

on a one-year US$1 million contract. Before accepting the

Božidar Maljković Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia. He is one of the most successful bask ...

-coached Panathinaikos' offer, Salley had reportedly consulted with recent Bulls teammate

who knew Maljković well having spent four trophy-laden seasons anchoring his late 1980s

KK Split Košarkaški klub Split ( en, Split Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League. History The c ...

teams.Ο μήνας της "αράχνης" .
/ref> Salley made his Panathinaikos debut on September 25, 1996, in EuroLeague away at

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

, a 77–58 loss during which he scored 5 points before fouling out in only 12 minutes of action. Right away, Salley got on the bad side of coach Maljković who refused to modify his disciplinarian approach in order to accommodate a veteran player with a notable NBA career behind him. Though Salley's performances somewhat improved over the following three EuroLeague outings—10 points in a home loss versus

ASVEL ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon, ...

, 9 points and 11 rebounds in a blowout home win versus

, and 21 points and 8 rebounds in a win away at minnows

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

—as he seemingly showed signs of adjustment to FIBA basketball rules and European referees by managing to stay out of foul trouble, he continued to butt heads with coach Maljković. After flying back to Athens with the team the morning after the Leverkusen game, Salley refused to go to practice and as a result, got dropped by Maljković for their Greek League game the following day. The player then flew back to the United States for meetings with TV executives over a new talk show he had been planning to host for

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, returning to Athens an hour before the club's

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

game versus

P.A.O.K. PAOK ( el, ΠΑΟΚ, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans' ...

on October 22, 1996—a trip that included Salley renting a private Lear jet in Paris for US$20,000 out of his own pocket in order to make it back to Athens in time for the game after having his connecting flight delayed and then even renting a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

once he landed at Athens'

Ellinikon Airport Ellinikon International Airport, sometimes spelled ''Hellinikon'' ( el, Ελληνικόν), was the international airport of Athens, Greece, for 63 years. It was replaced on 28 March 2001 by the new Athens International Airport ''Eleftherios ...

to take him right to Panathinaikos' OACA Hall in the city's

Marousi Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the History of Athens, ancient Athenian Republic; its ancie ...

neighbourhood. However, Maljković still refused to include him in the lineup and in response, Salley decided to leave Panathinaikos unilaterally two days later on October 24, 1996, after only a month at the club. Salley appeared in seven games for Panathinaikos and ended up getting paid about €300,000.

Los Angeles Lakers

In 1999, Salley joined a Lakers team led by superstars

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

and also reunited with his former Bulls coach,

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

. He saw little action for the Lakers en route to their first of three consecutive NBA championships, primarily serving as O'Neal's backup. In 2000, he retired again following the first Lakers championship season after proudly proclaiming that he had won "four championship rings, with three different teams, in three different decades and two different millenniums". 14 years later,

of the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

became the second player to achieve this (sans the requirement of different teams) by leading his Spurs to five championships between 1999 and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Post-basketball activities

Film

In 1995, John Salley had a role in '' Bad Boys'' as a thick-glassed computer hacking nerd who gets out of jail because he helps crack files for the Miami Police Department. In 1996, Salley appeared as a veteran basketball player alongside

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

in the film ''

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

'', about a fan who takes over as coach of the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. In 2003, Salley reprised his role of Fletcher in ''

Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'' and the second film in the ''Bad Bo ...

'' and appeared in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

TV film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' Coast to Coast'' alongside actress

Selma Blair Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she s ...

. He also appeared in the movie '' Confessions of a Shopaholic'' in 2009 as a member of the shopaholic help group (playing a retired NBA player) and had a bit role as a pimp in the blaxploitation spoof '' Black Dynamite''. Salley appeared in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

original movie, ''

The Ultimate Christmas Present ''The Ultimate Christmas Present'' is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Brenda Song and Hallee Hirsh. It premiered December 1, 2000 on Disney Channel as part of their Christmas season. Plot Two teen girls, Samantha Elizabeth "Sam" Kw ...

'', as a tall

elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

. In 2018, Salley appeared in the Netflix original movie, ''

Nappily Ever After ''Nappily Ever After'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by Haifaa al-Mansour and written by Adam Brooks and Cee Marcellus. It is based on the novel of the same name by Trisha R. Thomas. The film stars Sanaa Lathan, Ernie Hudson, ...

'', starring

Sanaa Lathan Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows ''In the House'', '' Family Matters'', ''NYPD Blue ...

. In 2022, Salley appears in '' Sneakerella'' as a famous sneaker maker and former basketball star.

Television

In the fall of 1998, Salley hosted the game show ''I Can't Believe You Said That'', which aired on the

Fox Family Channel The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...

. During that time, he also guest-starred as a panelist on ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the ...

'' and ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...

''. In 2000, he appeared as himself in an episode of ''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appear ...

''. Appearing in the episode titled "Welcome Back Duke”. In the credits his character's name was just NBA player. In 2001, he appeared as himself on a special TV Hosts episode of ''

Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'' where he was the first contestant voted off. In 2005, he appeared in the television series ''

Noah's Arc ''Noah's Arc'' is an American cable television comedy-drama series that aired for two seasons on the Logo network from October 19, 2005 to October 4, 2006. The show centered on the lives of four Black gay friends who share personal and professio ...

'' as Victor. He was one of the hosts of ''

'' on

Fox Sports Network Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

. Salley hosted ''The John Salley Block Party'', a radio morning show on Los Angeles station 100.3 The Beat from 2005 – 2006. For a short time, Salley provided analysis for NBC's ''

NBA Showtime ''NBA Showtime'' is the pregame show aired before each ''NBA on NBC'' telecast. The program, a half-hour in length, began during the 1990–91 NBA season, and was initially hosted by Bob Costas. Costas left in the mid-1990s, and became lead play-b ...

''. Salley has also hosted VH1's '' Basketball Wives'' (2010–2012) and ''

Basketball Wives LA ''Basketball Wives'' is an American reality television series franchise on VH1. It chronicles the everyday lives of women romantically linked to men in the professional basketball industry. The original incarnation was filmed in Miami, Florida an ...

'' (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) Reunion Specials.'' Starting from 2019, Salley reprised his role of Fletcher in the ''Bad Boys'' spinoff TV series '' LA's Finest''.

Guest appearances

In 2001, he made an appearance in the

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

music video, "Take You Out". He also appeared on a celebrity episode of ''

'' that same year and was voted off in the first round. In 2004, he was part of the panel of celebrity judges in the

TBS Superstation TBS (an abbreviation for Turner Broadcasting System) is an American pay television network owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It carries a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy, alo ...

show ''

He's a Lady ''He's a Lady'' is an American reality television series broadcast by TBS. The show premiered on October 19, 2004, while its sixth and final episode aired on November 16, 2004. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series depicted eleven men in ...

''. In

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, Salley was named the Commissioner of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. In 2007, Salley appeared in the ABC

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series '' Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race'', featuring a dozen celebrities in a

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

racing competition. In the first round of competition, Salley matched up against

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

star

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...

. Salley also became the host of the BET show ''Ballers''. Salley joined the cast of the reality competition show '' I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!'', which premiered on June 1, 2009. He came in third place behind winner

Lou Diamond Phillips Louis Diamond Phillips ( born Upchurch; February 17, 1962) is a Filipino-American actor and film director. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For ''Stand and Deliver'' (19 ...

and runner-up

Torrie Wilson Torrie Anne Wilson (born July 24, 1975) is an American former professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously the World Wrestling Federation). As a fitness competitor, Wilson won ...

. Salley hosted a podcast on

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

ACE Broadcasting Network Carolla Digital (formerly ACE Broadcasting Network) is an American podcast network. The flagship program of the network is '' The Adam Carolla Show'', which is released daily. The network also produces several other shows that are released on a w ...

with sportswriter Kevin Hench entitled '' Spider and the Henchman''. The show was canceled on March 18, 2011. In 2012, he appeared as a celebrity judge on ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

'' (season 4, episode 2). On an episode of Bravo's ''

Millionaire Matchmaker ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' was an American reality television series on Bravo that premiered on January 22, 2008, and is hosted by Patti Stanger. ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' follows Patti Stanger, owner of the Beverly Hills-based "Million ...

'' ("The NFL Kicker and the Workaholic", aired March 12, 2013), he acted as a consultant to Patti Stanger to help one of her clients (an ex-NFL player) become less of a "playa" and find a woman to settle down with.

Vegan activism and wellness career

Salley is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

activist and has appeared on

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

's testimonial videos, as well as in promoting alternatives to practices of massive factory farming. Salley is also noted for speaking at Michigan's Vegfest since 2009 and appearing on VegMichigan's billboard campaign. He also appeared before the U.S. Congress to advocate for vegetarian options to be served in public schools in Nov ’09 and May ’10 as part of the Child Nutrition Act discussions. On May 4, 2010, it was announced that Salley had joined the Simply Raw team. The group of individuals who produced the documentary '' Raw for 30'' had approached Salley with their video about reversing diabetes, and "it instantly got his attention" since his father had the disease. Salley teamed up with

Farm Sanctuary Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farmed animals. It was America's first shelter for farmed animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection, a ...

in 2010 to host their

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

''Walk for Farm Animals'' on Sunday, October 24, 2010. In June 2012 Salley became the official spokesperson for a natural supplements line called VirMax that is developed by Natural Product Solutions, LLC. In December 2015, Salley encouraged US First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

to go vegan "for the planet" – setting a lifestyle example of reducing environmental impacts from

greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs and Emission (electromagnetic radiation), emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse ...

release.

"Vegan eating is not just a slam dunk for human health; it's also the most effective way to combat climate change." ~ John Salley

Salley is an entrepreneur in the

cannabis industry The cannabis industry is composed of legal cultivators and producers, consumers, independent industrial standards bodies, ancillary products and services, regulators and researchers concerning cannabis and its industrial derivative, hemp. The can ...

, launching his own

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

brand Deuces22 and taking an ownership stake in the cannabis testing company GreenSpace Labs. Salley is also and advisory board member with cannabis social networking platform BudTrader. Salley is an ambassador for

Operation Smile Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr. and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair ...

Personal life

Salley married Natasha Duffy in 1993, and they have two children together. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Salley is a member of Omega Psi Phi initiated through Nu Omega Chapter in Detroit.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 82 , , 2 , , 17.8 , , .562 , , .000 , , .614 , , 3.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 16 , , 24.4 , , .566 , , – , , .709 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 1.7 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 21 , , 21.8 , , .498 , , .000 , , .692 , , 5.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 12 , , 23.3 , , .512 , , .250 , , .713 , , 5.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 1.9 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 1 , , 22.3 , , .475 , , .000 , , .727 , , 4.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 38 , , 24.6 , , .512 , , .000 , , .715 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 51 , , 34 , , 27.9 , , .502 , , – , , .799 , , 6.1 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 45 , , 25.1 , , .477 , , .667 , , .729 , , 5.4 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 50 , , 26.1 , , .499 , , – , , .739 , , 4.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 25 , , 6 , , 19.3 , , .486 , , – , , .723 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

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, 17 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .343 , , – , , .600 , , 2.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 45 , , 3 , , 6.7 , , .362 , , – , , .750 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 748 , , 228 , , 22.1 , , .506 , , .214 , , .714 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.3 , , 7.0

Playoffs

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1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

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, 15, , 0, , 20.7, , .500, , –, , .643, , 4.8, , 0.7, , 0.2, , 1.1, , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

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, 23, , 0, , 27.1, , .538, , .000, , .710, , 6.7, , 0.9, , 0.7, , 1.6, , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1989† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17, , 0, , 23.1, , .586, , –, , .667, , 4.6, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 1.5, , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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, 20, , 0, , 27.4, , .475, , –, , .755, , 5.9, , 1.0, , 0.5, , 1.7, , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

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, 15, , 0, , 20.5, , .543, , –, , .600, , 4.1, , 0.7, , 0.4, , 1.3, , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

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, 5, , 1, , 29.8, , .455, , .000, , .821, , 6.0, , 2.8, , 0.6, , 2.8, , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

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, 5, , 5, , 40.2, , .386, , –, , .688, , 8.0, , 1.6, , 0.4, , 1.0, , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1996† , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 16, , 0, , 5.3, , .545, , –, , .286, , 0.7, , 0.4, , 0.1, , 0.1, , 0.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 18, , 0, , 4.3, , .385, , –, , .700, , 1.2, , 0.2, , 0.1, , 0.3, , 0.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 134 , , 6 , , 20.1 , , .505 , , .000 , , .690 , , 4.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 1.2 , , 6.4

References

External links

John Salley NBA stats
@ basketball-reference.com
FOX Sports: The Scoop On John Salley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salley, John 1964 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American male actors African-American television personalities All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Greece American game show hosts American male film actors American men's basketball players American sports radio personalities American male television actors American veganism activists Basketball players from New York City Businesspeople in the cannabis industry Canarsie High School alumni Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Greek Basket League players Los Angeles Lakers players Miami Heat players National Basketball Association broadcasters Panathinaikos B.C. players Participants in American reality television series People from Canarsie, Brooklyn Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Brooklyn Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks Toronto Raptors players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors

Early life and college career

Professional career

Detroit Pistons

Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors

Chicago Bulls

One month with Panathinaikos

Los Angeles Lakers

Post-basketball activities

Film

Television

Guest appearances

Vegan activism and wellness career

Personal life

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links