It is perfectly OK to have a differing opinion about Michael Jordan’s place in basketball history. But it comes off as weak when you flip flop on that opinion. John Sally has done a flip flop of spectacular proportions.
In 1996, on an NBC pre-game show, he said he called his mother and told her, “I just saw the greatest basketball player ever.” This was after Jordan laced up some canvas shoes and dunked on him while saying “block this, big boy.”
Salley’s mom told her son: “You’re just realizing that?”
Fast forward to now. Now, Salley, who rode Jordan’s back for a championship in ’96 with the Chicago Bulls, is giving an entirely new opinion, one that – by his words – leaves Jordan behind a few players. This sis the same Salley who battled against and with Jordan at the height of his greatness.
And yet, on ESPN radio, Salley acted as if Jordan was some regular player.
“I love Michael,” Salley started. “I’m a Michael Jordan fan just like everyone else. I just don’t think he’s the greatest player ever.”
Really? OK, who then, Mr. Salley?
“I think the greatest player I’ve ever played against was Magic Johnson,” he said.
Fair enough. Johnson revolutionized the game as a 6-foor-9 point guard, won championships and made everyone around him better in the process.
So, surely Jordan is Salley’s No. 2 best player, right?
“Next, was Larry Bird,” he said.
Seriously.
And it didn’t stop there.
“Then, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” Salley said.
C’mon, Salley.
“The hardest guy I had to guard,” he continued, “Hakeem Olajuwon. No one can guard Hakeem.”
After The Dream?
“And then, Kevin McHale,” Sally said.
Again, Salley was on the Bulls team that won the ’96 championship, when Jordan crafted some of his most legendary feats. And yet, Salley said, “Isiah Thomas was the best player I ever played with. At 6-foot-1, scoring 41 points on one ankle. Should have been on Dream Team 1.”
No, you’re not dreaming. He really said that. And then he said this:
“In 1981, when I went down to visit Georgia Tech, I watched Michael Jordan play and literally get ridiculed for taking a jump shot in the championship game that went off the backboard and they won. People are forgetting that Michael was just one of the players when they went to the Dream Team. It was Clyde Drexler, it was Magic Johnson… these were good players. But he wasn’t the best. I watched Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman push him left and him shoot 32 times. We weren’t worried about him. We knew if we pushed him left and he picked the ball up, he couldn’t pass it.”
No word on whether Salley passed a sobriety test before the interview.
John Salkey is a hater……
Salley is still mad the Bulls shut up the Pistons and like babies they walked off the court…boohooohoo
I like John Salley…..BUT…….. HE HAS TOTALLY LOST HIS MIND! I can't argue that they are all great players. BUt better than JORDAN? Kevin McHale? Seriously?
MAGIG MAYBE AFTER ALL HE PLAYED ALL 5 POSITIONS.
RUSSEL HAD 10,000000 TITLES.
CHAMBERLIN 100 PTS PLUS 50000 WOMEN.
AFTER THAT NO MORE POSSIBILITIES.
No more possibilities except the greatest all around player, Oscar Robertson.
Oscar Robertson, no body else averaged a triple double and he did it befoe the watered down showboat era. Jordan an all curren NBA'rs should tithe 10%to the old ABA players for makinf bbll an entertainment event.
I agree with Sally Michael Jordan was the best in his era but I like Oscar Robinson he's listed in every record stat book I swear triple double 2x crazy hard…again its a generation and time you played cause 80's was a lot harder than 90's and bulls couldn't beat boston or LA at they best.
Well Oscar Robertson had a whole season where he averaged a triple double. However since many in the media want to talk about winning a championship(s), Then Bill Russell has to be the best ever with 11 rings – Micheal Jordan who?
Oscar's triple double included more than 30 points a game. Even more amazing, he averaged over 30 points, more than 10 rebounds, and more than 10 assists over his first 5 seasons, while never missing a game.
Michael Burke But during that era of the NBA, teams scored 120-130 points a game. More points, more shots, more rebounds go to around means that it's markedly easier to achieve Oscar's triple double averages. It's much harder to average a triple-double today. Jordan came close with 32/8/8 in 1988, Johnson came very close in the early 80's average 19/9/9, and Lebron's currently averaging 27/8/7. Place any of those players in the league in 1960, all would easier average a triple double
Well said. There is no merit in comparing players from Oscar Robertson's era to today. Could the Big O even crack a starting lineup? There were very few athletic big men. The speed of the game, size of the players, completely different.
If we're talking rings, Robert Horry is a greater player than Michael Jordan with 7. Lmao.
John Salley is a complete idiot and just lost all credibility in my mind. He only did this so his washed up name would show up in the papers.
nice suits. LOL
I THINK ANYONE WHO SAY'S JORDAN WAS NOT THE GREATEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME IS SMOKING THE GOOD S@#T. THEY HAVE BEEN SOME GRET PLAYERS BUT NO ONE COULD TAKE CONTROL OF A GAME LIKE JORDAN.
John Sally is a nobody – desperate to get a name for himself in Hollywood – as hes long been forgotten in he sports world. why? because he was a mediocre role player fortune enough to be on a squad bolstered by legends. two years ago, he had the audacity to suggest lebron was a better shooter than MJ. No matter what may come of LJs legacy, it is clear hes not a better shooter. He's using the "MJ isn't the best" mantra just to foster conversation with his name in it. Well, Sally…the brief mentions wont bolster any long term google ranking or traffic boost, because you have nothing to sell. just jealousy and envy. but that plot line only works with hot albeit trifling drama queen chics that get naked on camera. STFU and disappear with Tom Arnold. Youre a towering bore and unimportant.
It's funny how butt hurt you people get when you realize LeBron James will be even greater than Michael Jordan when he's all said and done. Imagine if LeBron doesn't take a break until he's 40 to come back. Oh my, he's already better than Jordan (game wise).
There's things Jordan did in his day that you can't do (Michael Jordan half circle under the net).