How Many NBA Rings Does John Salley Have?

Salley won four NBA championships during his career, three with the Detroit Pistons and one with the Chicago Bulls.

NBA Championships

John Salley is a former NBA player and four-time champion. He won titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, the Chicago Bulls in 1996, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.

Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990)

John Salley won two NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons, in 1989 and 1990. He was a member of the “Bad Boys” Pistons team that was known for its tough, physical play. Salley was traded to the Pistons in 1988 and quickly became a key member of the team, helping them to back-to-back championships. He played for several other teams during his NBA career, but never won another championship.

Chicago Bulls (1996)

The 1996 Chicago Bulls season was the franchise’s 30th season in the National Basketball Association. The bulls entered the season as defending NBA champions, having defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1995 NBA Finals. They finished the regular season with a 72–10 record, a then-NBA-record winning percentage of .878, and won their fourth NBA Championship by defeating the Shaquille O’Neal–Penny Hardaway-led Orlando Magic in the Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a record fourth time.

The bulls set an all-time record for wins in a single season, surpassing their mark of 69 set during the 1995 campaign. They also became just the second team in league history to win 70 games; only five teams have won 70 or more games in an NBA regular season through 2016. They also became just the sixth team to win at least 60 games in five consecutive seasons; through 2016, only three teams have accomplished this feat.

Other NBA Accolades

Although never being an NBA All-Star, John Salley is one of only a handful of NBA players to have won championships with three different NBA teams. He is also the first player in NBA history to play in both an NBA Finals Game and an NBA Finals Game with four different teams.

NBA All-Star (1991)

John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American retired professional basketball player and television host. He was the first player in NBA history to play on four different championship-winning teams, having won titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, the Toronto Raptors in 1994 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. He is also a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, being inducted in 2006 for his contributions to international basketball as a member of Team USA at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and again in 2020 for his individual career.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993)

In 1993, Salley became just the third player in NBA history to win both the Defensive Player of the Year Award and the NBA Championship in the same season. He joins Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to ever achieve this honor.

NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1992, 1994)

John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American retired professional basketball player, actor, television host, and analyst. He was the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning NBA teams as a member of the 1986 Boston Celtics, 1989 Detroit Pistons and 1996 Chicago Bulls. He won a fourth title in 2006 with the Miami Heat as their starting center.[1][2] He is currently a studio analyst for Fox Sports 1.

Salley was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Canarsie High School. He played college basketball at Georgia Tech from 1982 to 1986.[3] He was drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1986 NBA draft and won a championship with them in 1989 along with fellow rookie Dennis Rodman.

After being traded to the Miami Heat midway through the 1995–96 season, Salley won his fourth championship (and first as a starter) when Miami defeated his former team, the Chicago Bulls, in six games. Salley became one of only four players that have won championships with three franchises (joining Robert Horry, John Paxson and Horace Grant).

Post-NBA Career

After being drafted in the 1986 NBA Draft, Salley went on to have a successful career, winning four NBA Championships. However, since his retirement from the NBA in 2000, Salley has kept himself busy with a number of different ventures.

Actor

John Salley is an American retired professional basketball player who has also worked as an actor and television host. He was a member of four NBA championship teams and is one of only three players to win championships with three different franchises. Salley won his first two championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, then followed that up with titles in 1996 and 2000 as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows over the years, most notably as himself on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” morning show.

Television personality

Since his retirement from the NBA, Salley has become a television personality. He co-hosted The Best Damn Sports Show Period from 2001 to 2002 and also had his own talk show called SalleySundays on Fox Sports Net. He was a judge on the TV show From G’s to Gents in 2008. In 2009, he became a co-host and executive producer of The Jump Off on TV One. Salley has also appeared as himself in episodes of Entourage, The Game, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Chelsea Lately.

Vegan food products

In addition to his work as an NBA analyst, John Salley is also a vegan entrepreneur. He has his own line of vegan food products, which includes everything from energy bars to BBQ sauces.