Michael Jordan has had many phenomenal teammates. Some such as John Salley was part of the rival Detroit Pistons before joining the Chicago Bulls later. Salley, however, went on to have a career in Hollywood and once played a role alongside Martin Lawrence.
The four-time NBA champion has had some roles in many Hollywood productions. His most notable work came when he appeared multiple times in the Bad Boys film franchise. This meant, he was in scenes alongside Lawrence and Will Smith.
John Salley was already friends with both actors, which led to his casting as Fletcher. He was asked about his forays into Hollywood when he sat down with Los Angeles Lakers great Byron Scott on the podcast, Byron Scott’s Fast Break. When talking about his first days in the role of Fletcher, he said.
I go down to see him. Martin is sitting there with his new fiancé, Pat, who was Miss Virginia. He’s sitting there and I p*** him off, because I ask him if he had a prenup in front of everybody.
John Salley on the Byron Scott’s Fast Break
The 6′ 11″ forward said that to Martin Lawrence out of his friendship with the Hollywood star. But after that conversation, Salley ended up talking with director Michael Bay, who ended up casting the then-Miami Heat star in the role of Fletcher.
Since then, Salley continued to be around his friend on two further Bad Boys movies. It suggested that Lawrence left the joke his professional basketball friend said behind. The 60-year-old mentioned that he still maintains his friendship with them.
John Salley was a Bad Boy before starring in the Bad Boys film franchise
The Detroit Pistons drafted John Salley in 1986. His versatile play inside the paint made him a strong player in the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons championship teams. He won back-to-back championships with them coming off the bench to give the likes of Bill Laimbeer some rest.
But he also was one of the few Pistons players who waited to congratulate Michael Jordan and the Bulls after they were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. That game was notorious for fueling Jordan’s beef with Isiah Thomas.
‘His Airness’ did not forget that welcomed him to his team when he was a free agent. The New York native became part of basketball history as the then Chicago Bulls set a new regular season record with their 72-10 run. That season also saw John Salley become an NBA champion for the third time.
Without a contract in hand, the then thirty-year old went on to play in Greece. But the following year he joined the Los Angeles Lakers and along with Shaquille O’Neal won his fourth NBA title in the year 2000. That win helped him to claim that he won four championships with three different teams, in three different decades and two different millenniums.
