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 (appro ...

player. He was the first player in

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

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. Horry was a member of seven championship winning teams and is considered, by some, to be one of the most clutch sho ...

, 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 the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

), 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 and coach. He List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Sp ...

). After being drafted in the first round out of

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

in the

1986 NBA draft The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986. Overview and aftermath This draft holds the record for the most players (out of prospects chosen) who later debuted in the NBA, with 66. Drug and health issues involving drafted players There were ...

, the -tall Salley played both

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

, 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. 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 entert ...

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

Early life

John Thomas Salley was born on May 16, 1964, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Salley played on the basketball team at

Canarsie High School Canarsie High School was a public high school in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Canarsie in New York City. It first opened in 1964 but closed in 2011. The building currently operates as Canarsie Educational Campus, housing several smaller high sc ...

in Brooklyn.

College career

Salley 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. Salley was seen as potential top 3 pick during his senior year .

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (1986–1992)

Salley had a draft workout for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

for the 2nd overall pick against

Len Bias Leonard Kevin Bias (November 18, 1963June 19, 1986) was an American college basketball player for the Maryland Terrapins. In the last of his four years playing for Maryland, he was named a consensus first-team All-American. Two days after being s ...

in front off

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. As a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented champio ...

. The Chicago Bulls promised Salley if he was there at nine they would take him but took

Brad Sellers Bradley Donn Sellers (born December 17, 1962) is an American retired basketball player, politician, and radio broadcaster. As a basketball player, Sellers played collegiately from 1981 to 1986 first at Wisconsin before transferring to Ohio Sta ...

. Salley was drafted by the

with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the

out of

. After joining the Pistons, he became close friends with

Adrian Dantley Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection an ...

, 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, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

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 Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

, Salley was part of the Pistons era that featured three consecutive NBA finals appearances. The team's highly physical, defense-oriented, and dirty 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. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

Bill Laimbeer William Laimbeer Jr. (born May 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball coach and player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his physical style of play, he played a big part in the Pistons earni ...

, James Edwards,

Joe Dumars Joe Dumars III ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was ...

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

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 Ba ...

and Dantley. After losing the

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

in seven games to the Lakers, the Pistons turned it around to sweep the Lakers in four games in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

. Salley and the Pistons repeated in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, 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 Northwest Division (N ...

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, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

-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 (1992–1995)

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.

Toronto Raptors (1995–1996)

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 (1996)

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 th ...

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of ...

, 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 The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern ...

Panathinaikos (1996)

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, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, where he joined the reigning EuroLeague champions

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

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

Božidar Maljković Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-Cyrl, 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 b ...

-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 (), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball Sports club, club based in Split, Croatia, Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the HT Premijer liga, Croatian Leag ...

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

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

away at

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

, 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, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

, 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, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...

—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 referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

, returning to Athens an hour before the club's

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

game versus

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

on October 22, 1996—a trip that included Salley renting a private

Lear jet Learjet was a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use based in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation, it became a subsidiary of Canadian Bomba ...

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 (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

once he landed at Athens'

Ellinikon Airport Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled ''Hellinikon'', was an international airport that served Athens, Greece, for 63 years. Following its closure on 28 March 2001, it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport ''Elefthe ...

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

Marousi Marousi or Maroussi (), also known as Amarousio (), is a city and a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens urban area, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the History of Athens, ancient Athenian Republic; its ...

neighbourhood. However, Maljković still refused to include him in the lineup. 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 (1999–2000)

In 1999, Salley joined a Lakers team led by superstars

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

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 in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

. 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". He would be the last Laker to wear #16 before

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol ...

, whom it was retired in honor of. 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

became the second player to achieve titles in three different decades (sans the requirement of different teams) by leading his Spurs to five championships between

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Post-basketball activities

Film

In 1995, John Salley had a role in '' Bad Boys'' as a thick-glassed computer hacking nerd prisoner named Fletcher, who gets out of jail because he helps crack files for the

Miami Police Department The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida, United States. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD offi ...

. 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'', 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

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

Bad Boys II ''Bad Boys II'' is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and the sequel to the 1995 film '' Bad Boys'', in addition to the second film in the ''Bad Boys'' film series. Martin Lawrence, ...

'' 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, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

'' Coast to Coast'' alongside actress

Selma Blair Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner; June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' Cruel Intentions'', '' Legally Blonde'', '' The Sweetest Thing'', and the ''Hellboy'' franchise. Blair, born in Southfield, Michigan ...

. 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 ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-s ...

''. Salley appeared in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

original movie, ''

The Ultimate Christmas Present ''The Ultimate Christmas Present'' is a 2000 American Christmas fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie and starring Brenda Song and Hallee Hirsh. It premiered December 1, 2000 on Disney Channel as part of their Christma ...

'', as a tall

elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

. 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 Bl ...

. In 2022, Salley appears in ''

Sneakerella ''Sneakerella'' is a 2022 American musical comedy film directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and written by David Light & Joseph Raso, Tamara Chestna, Mindy Stern, and George Gore II. A re-imagining of the classic fairy tale ''Cinderella'', the f ...

'' as a famous sneaker maker and former basketball star. In 2024, Salley returned to his role of Fletcher in '' Bad Boys: Ride or Die''.

Television

In season 2, episode 5 of

Malcolm & Eddie ''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The ...

he plays Lt. Stanley Proctor. In the fall of 1998, Salley hosted the game show ''I Can't Believe You Said That'', which aired on the

Fox Family Channel American cable and satellite television network Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes during its history. This article details th ...

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

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: 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 originally aired as a ...

'' 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 paneli ...

''. 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 appeared ...

''. 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'' 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'' was 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 ...

''. Salley has also hosted VH1's ''

Basketball Wives ''Basketball Wives'' is an American reality television series broadcast on VH1. It has aired twelve seasons, and follows the everyday lives of women romantically linked to players in the professional basketball industry. The first five seasons ...

'' (2010–2012) and '' Basketball Wives LA'' (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 ''L.A.'s Finest'' (also known colloquially as ''Bad Girls'') is an American action crime drama television series created by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier; and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It is a spin-off of the ''Bad Boys'' fran ...

''.

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 Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

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 initialism of Turner Broadcasting System) is an American basic cable television network owned by the Global Linear Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It carries a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy, along with som ...

show ''

He's a Lady ''He's a Lady'' is an American reality television series broadcast by TBS. The six-episode series premiered on October 19, 2004, and concluded on November 23, 2004. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series depicted eleven cisgender men in ...

''. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Salley was named the Commissioner of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. 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 ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

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. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southe ...

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

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...

and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

star

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WT ...

. 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 (né Upchurch; born February 17, 1962) is an American actor, director, and writer. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For his performance as Angel ...

and runner-up

Torrie Wilson Torrie Anne Wilson (born July 24, 1975) is an American model (person), model, former fitness competitor and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE and WCW. As a fitness competitor, Wilson won the Miss Galaxy compet ...

. 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 ...

's ACE Broadcasting Network with sportswriter

Kevin Hench Kevin Hench is an American screenwriter, television producer, television writer and columnist for foxsports.com. Hench is a frequent collaborator with comedian Adam Carolla, having co-written and co-produced the 2007 film '' The Hammer'' and two ...

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), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

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

Millionaire Matchmaker ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' is 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 "Milliona ...

'' ("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 products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

activist and has appeared on

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

'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, ...

in 2010 to host their

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

''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 ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

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

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

release.

"Vegan eating is not just a slam dunk for human health; it's also the most effective way to
combat climate change Climate change mitigation (or decarbonisation) is action to limit the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause climate change. Climate change mitigation actions include conserving energy and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sour ...
." ~ John Salley

Salley is an entrepreneur in the

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

, launching his own

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

brand Deuces22 and taking an ownership stake in the cannabis testing company GreenSpace Labs. Salley is also an 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 husband and wife William P. Magee Jr. and Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate rep ...

Personal life

Salley married Natasha Duffy in 1993. They have two children together, and Salley also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Salley is a member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University. Omega Psi Phi is a founding member of ...

initiated through Nu Omega Chapter in Detroit. He is also a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason in Los Angeles.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 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 is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 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 ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 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;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 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 , 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 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

† , 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;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

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

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

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

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 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 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American sportsmen 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 male television actors American men's basketball players American sports radio personalities American veganism activists Basketball players from Brooklyn 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 NBA broadcasters Panathinaikos B.C. players Participants in American reality television series People from Canarsie, Brooklyn Power forwards Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks Toronto Raptors players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (1986–1992)

Miami Heat (1992–1995)

Toronto Raptors (1995–1996)

Chicago Bulls (1996)

Panathinaikos (1996)

Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2000)

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