John Salley
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "Spider" Salley (born May 16, 1964) is a retired American
professional basketball
player, actor and talk show
host. He was the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises.
At 6'11" (2.11 m), Salley played both power forward
and center
for the Detroit Pistons
, Miami Heat
, Toronto Raptors
, Chicago Bulls
, Panathinaikos BC and Los Angeles Lakers
. The nickname "Spider" is a reference to Salley's fear of the arachnid, which he claims to have conquered during his time on the 2009 reality television show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!
.
, New York
. Salley played high school ball at Canarsie High School
in Brooklyn. He is a 1988 graduate of Georgia Tech
's College of Management
. He holds Georgia Tech's blocked shot
record, and has had his jersey number 22 retired—a very rare honor in college basketball.
in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft
out of Georgia Tech
. 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
and made several appearances at comedy clubs in the off-season. In 1989 and 1990, he played on two Pistons championship teams. He is among the Pistons' all-time leaders in blocked shots.
in 1992 and, a few years after that, was left unprotected by Miami in the 1995 expansion draft
. Following a short stint with the inaugural Toronto Raptors team where he received little playing time, he negotiated a buyout of his contract in order to sign with the Chicago Bulls
, where he helped Michael Jordan
, Scottie Pippen
and former Pistons teammate Dennis Rodman
(as well as former teammate James Edwards
) lead the Bulls to a record-breaking 72-win season, after which Salley retired. However, in 1996, he came out of retirement to join the Greek
team Panathinaikos BC for a few games.
and Kobe Bryant
. He saw little action for the Lakers en route to their first of three consecutive NBA championships from 2000–2002. 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."
John Salley had a role in Bad Boys
and Bad Boys 2
, 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
in the film Eddie
, about a fan who takes over as coach of the New York Knicks
.
In the fall of 1998, Salley hosted the game show I Can't Believe You Said That
, which aired on the Fox Family Channel
. During that time, he also guest-starred as a panelist on Hollywood Squares
.
In 2001, Salley made an appearance in the Luther Vandross
music video, "Take You Out".
In 2004 he was part of the panel of celebrity judges in the TBS Superstation show He's a Lady
.
In 2006
, Salley was named the Commissioner of the American Basketball Association.
In 2007, Salley appeared in the ABC reality television
series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race
, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. In the first round of competition, Salley matched up against professional wrestler
John Cena
and tennis
star Serena Williams
. Salley also became the host of the new 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 with Lou Diamond Phillips
winner and Torrie Wilson
runner-up. On the show he became friends with Patti Blagojevich who is the wife of Rod Blagojevich
.
He also appeared in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic
in 2009 as a member of the shopaholic help group, and had a bit role as a pimp named Kotex in the blaxploitation spoof Black Dynamite
.
He was one of the hosts of The Best Damn Sports Show Period
on Fox Sports Network. Salley hosted The John Salley Block Party, a radio morning show on Los Angeles station 100.3 The Beat from May 2005 - 2006.
For a short time, Salley provided analysis for NBC's NBA Showtime
.
Salley appeared in the Disney Channel
original movie, The Ultimate Christmas Present
as a tall elf
.
Salley hosted a podcast on Adam Carolla
's "ACE" broadcasting network with sportswriter Kevin Hench entitled Spider and the Henchman. The show was canceled on 18 March 2011.
Salley also hosted VH1's "Basketball Wives
"
He is also ambassador for Operation Smile.
's testimonial videos, as well as in promoting alternatives to practices of massive factory farming.
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. http://www.rawfor30days.com/blog/?p=83
Salley teamed up with Farm Sanctuary
in 2010 to host their New York City
Walk for Farm Animals on Sunday, October 24, 2010.
Salley has been married to Natasha Duffy since 1993 and they have 3 children together.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, actor and talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host. He was the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises.
At 6'11" (2.11 m), Salley played both power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
and center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
for the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, Panathinaikos BC and Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. The nickname "Spider" is a reference to Salley's fear of the arachnid, which he claims to have conquered during his time on the 2009 reality television show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!
I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! (U.S. season 2)
The second season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me out of Here! premiered on June 1, 2009 and concluded on June 24, 2009. The season, aired on NBC, a revival of the ABC series of the same name and continued to follow the same format as the original British series. It is also broadcast in Ireland and the...
.
Early life
Salley was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Salley played high school ball at Canarsie High School
Canarsie High School
Canarsie High School is a public high school in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Canarsie in New York City.-Student demographics:84.51% Black or African American, 11.47% Hispanic or Latino, 2.07% White non-Hispanic, 1.66% Asian and 0.28% Native American. The student/teacher ratio is 22.0. The school is...
in Brooklyn. He is a 1988 graduate of Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
's College of Management
Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management
The College of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology was established in 1934, and is consistently ranked in the top 30 management programs in the nation. It draws its distinction from its roots in a world-renowned technical university....
. He holds Georgia Tech's blocked shot
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
record, and has had his jersey number 22 retired—a very rare honor in college basketball.
Detroit Pistons
Salley was drafted by the Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft
1986 NBA Draft
-Drug and health issues involving drafted players:There were various drug-related problems that plagued players in the 1986 NBA draft. Most notable was the death of highly-touted Len Bias. Bias died less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. His...
out of Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
. After joining the Pistons, he became close friends with Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley
Adrian Delano Dantley is a retired American basketball player who played 15 seasons in the NBA, including seven as a member of the Utah Jazz. A forward/guard and six-time NBA All-Star, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008...
, 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
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
and made several appearances at comedy clubs in the off-season. In 1989 and 1990, he played on two Pistons championship teams. He is among the Pistons' all-time leaders in blocked shots.
Heat and Bulls
He was traded to the Miami HeatMiami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
in 1992 and, a few years after that, was left unprotected by Miami in the 1995 expansion draft
Expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion draft...
. Following a short stint with the inaugural Toronto Raptors team where he received little playing time, he negotiated a buyout of his contract in order to sign with the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, where he helped Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
and former Pistons teammate Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
(as well as former teammate James Edwards
James Edwards (basketball)
James Franklin Edwards is a retired American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Buddha" for his appearance and stoic demeanor, the 7' 0" Edwards played 19 years in the NBA, playing both the center and power forward positions...
) lead the Bulls to a record-breaking 72-win season, after which Salley retired. However, in 1996, he came out of retirement to join the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
team Panathinaikos BC for a few games.
Lakers
In 1999, he joined a Lakers team led by Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
. He saw little action for the Lakers en route to their first of three consecutive NBA championships from 2000–2002. 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."
Post-basketball career
Bad Boys (1995 film)
Bad Boys is a 1995 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his directorial debut, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer...
and Bad Boys 2
Bad Boys II
Bad Boys II is a 2003 action/comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. It is a sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys. The film is about two police detectives investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami...
, as a thick-glassed computer hacking nerd who gets out of jail because he helps crack files for the Miami Police Department
Miami Police Department
The Miami Police Department or MPD, often referred to as the City of Miami Police, is the chief police department of the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. Their jurisdiction lies within the actual city limits of Miami, but have mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments. The current...
. In 1996, Salley appeared as a veteran basketball player alongside Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
in the film Eddie
Eddie (film)
Eddie is a 1996 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella. It was a moderate success, grossing $31,387,164 in the US.The film was directed by Steve Rash.- Plot summary :...
, about a fan who takes over as coach of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
In the fall of 1998, Salley hosted the game show I Can't Believe You Said That
I Can't Believe You Said That
I Can't Believe You Said That! was the title of a short-lived game show that aired from August 1998 to early 1999 on Fox Family Channel with a companion series, Outrageous, and was a charter original series of the relaunched network...
, which aired on the Fox Family Channel
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
. During that time, he also guest-starred as a panelist on Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
.
In 2001, Salley made an appearance in the Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
music video, "Take You Out".
In 2004 he was part of the panel of celebrity judges in the TBS Superstation show He's a Lady
He's a Lady
He's a Lady is an American reality television show that aired on TBS from October to November 2004. The premise of the show involves eleven men cross-dressing as women in order to win $250,000. The show's name is a reference to Tom Jones's 1971 hit song, "She's a Lady".The show is hosted by Tony...
.
In 2006
2006 in sports
2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia...
, Salley was named the Commissioner of the American Basketball Association.
In 2007, Salley appeared in the ABC reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race
Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race
Fast Cars & Superstars: Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race was an ABC reality television series featuring twelve celebrities in a stock car auto racing competition...
, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. In the first round of competition, Salley matched up against professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
star Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
. Salley also became the host of the new BET show Ballers
Ballers
Ballers is a weekly BET sports-oriented talk show, hosted by former NBA player John Salley, former NFL player Hugh Douglas, and comedian Guy Torry. The show also has a female presence with DJ Rashida's "girl's booth" as well as Claudia Jordan serving as correspondent.- External links :* Featured...
.
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 with Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
winner and Torrie Wilson
Torrie Wilson
Torrie Anne Wilson is a retired American professional wrestler, fitness competitor and model. She is best known for her tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment , where she worked on both their SmackDown and Raw brands throughout her eight-year run.As a fitness...
runner-up. On the show he became friends with Patti Blagojevich who is the wife of Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
.
He also appeared in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic
Confessions of a Shopaholic (film)
Confessions of a Shopaholic is a 2009 American romantic comedy film based on the Shopaholic series of novels by Sophie Kinsella. Directed by P. J. Hogan, the film stars Isla Fisher as the shopaholic journalist and Hugh Dancy as her boss.-Plot:...
in 2009 as a member of the shopaholic help group, and had a bit role as a pimp named Kotex in the blaxploitation spoof Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation films...
.
He was one of the hosts of The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period is an American sports television show on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertainers. It also aired Top 50 countdown shows and other sports...
on Fox Sports Network. Salley hosted The John Salley Block Party, a radio morning show on Los Angeles station 100.3 The Beat from May 2005 - 2006.
For a short time, Salley provided analysis for NBC's NBA Showtime
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-by-play voice of The NBA on NBC in 1997...
.
Salley appeared in the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
original movie, The Ultimate Christmas Present
The Ultimate Christmas Present
The Ultimate Christmas Present is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Brenda Song and Hallee Hirsh.-Plot:Two teen girls, Samantha Elizabeth "Sam" Kwan and Allison Rachel "Allie" Thompson find a weather machine at a shack in the woods. After learning of its controls, they use it to...
as a tall elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
.
Salley hosted a podcast on Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla is an American radio personality, television host, comedian, and actor. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast on the ACE Broadcasting Network...
's "ACE" broadcasting network with sportswriter Kevin Hench entitled Spider and the Henchman. The show was canceled on 18 March 2011.
Salley also hosted VH1's "Basketball Wives
Basketball Wives
Basketball Wives is a reality television series that premiered on the VH1 cable television network on April 11, 2010. Created by production company Shed Media US, the series follows the lives of a group of women who have all been somehow romantically linked to professional basketball players. The...
"
He is also ambassador for Operation Smile.
Personal life
Salley is a vegan and has appeared on PETAPeta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
's testimonial videos, as well as in promoting alternatives to practices of massive factory farming.
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. http://www.rawfor30days.com/blog/?p=83
Salley teamed up with Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farm animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection and vegetarianism/veganism through rescue, education and advocacy...
in 2010 to host their New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Walk for Farm Animals on Sunday, October 24, 2010.
Salley has been married to Natasha Duffy since 1993 and they have 3 children together.
External links
- NBA stats @ basketballreference.com
- FOX Sports: The Scoop On John Salley