John Salley: I Would Love To Coach The Knicks Just To Speak With The Media

25:23Yeah, you know. So where'd you come up to on Wilt? I literally, Wilt was about two to three inches taller than me. Okay. Not as sexy, but as tall. And, you know, people don't realize, like, when you're a pro, you know, a lot of guys go around and act cool. Man, I would let you know. Man, you're Wilt Chamberlain. Oh, my boy. I saw Kareem and Kareem didn't talk to me.

25:51Rich Eisen:That sounds like on brand. Yeah, it sounds like he had nothing to say. He talked to my brother Ron, but he's like, I don't talk to rookies. So, you know, I just was in the mix and I got, you know, I knew Eddie and Arsenio. And then you get to know Martin and then Martin started taking off. And Eddie's the, obviously. Eddie Murphy, sorry. No, no, I know that. It's just a few people that you can refer to. Just one name. but I just wanted to make sure that we were talking about the one in the same. The one in the same. As opposed to the movie, Eddie, that you were in. Which was a great movie, and I should have been nominated.

26:27I see you got three Emmys in there, and I should have at least had a, you know, I don't know. I just love Whoopi Goldberg, and she would whisper things, and she would say, hey, don't act, be. And I was like, got it. You know, be the character. and I got to be the character in that wonderful movie Eddie, everybody go see it it's when Whoopi Goldberg takes over as the head coach of the Knicks, which might happen

26:57Rich Eisen:by the way, I don't know if they knocked on her door and asked the view for permission to interview her because they knocked on so many people's doors I would love to coach the Knicks just to have talk to the media after you would be great at it, I know that you would definitely get some headlines I know for sure I'm trying to get back in man I auditioned to NBC I got on the phone my wonderful agent by bet Perry she set up a call yeah I want to go back to NBC I want to work back in television I think I think we need to give a different look or we need to give a perspective that you know I have at watching it for so long and how much I trained but they gave the job to Brad Dougherty and Tracy McGrady this morning.

27:45Good for those guys. I'm very happy for them.

27:48Rich Eisen:You literally just found this out. Yeah, I found it out. And at first, my cousin Mike, Mike Odom, he tells me when people die, he tell me, he's the black part of the news. So I get all... You got all of that. How do you think Jordan's going to be as an analyst? What do you think? It's going to be a lot of, yo, that boy sucks. man I don't know how they paid that guy I wouldn't have paid him you're gonna get a lot of jokes cause now oh he's 62 now he's gonna tell you what he thinks I'm sure of that but his perspective is from a killer so it's gonna be really really good and you know what you can tell when somebody's dogging it not as well as Michael Michael can tell and I think he's gonna give I think it's gonna be you know at points.

28:39I don't think he's going to be constant every day.

28:43Rich Eisen:The suggestion I gave to somebody at NBC, and I don't know if they're going to take this suggestion. Is it higher, John Sally? Well, I can do that. I didn't know you were interested at the time when I had an audience with somebody in NBC management a few months ago. As I said, you should do a segment with Jordan where somebody, as you know, like the Shaq in a Fool segment, right? Where Shaq responds to somebody doing something silly because inevitably somebody will say something silly they put it on an ipad and hand it to him like they did back in the day yeah for the last dance and because you never wanted to be on the ipad handed to michael jordan no because that is the last place you wanted to be is like did you hear what this person had to say mike roll tape and he would read he would look at this thing and he'd react that's what they should do whenever they have michael jordan Don't tell him what's on the iPad, hand it to him and let him go.

29:39You can't be given away. And I said that he bonically on purpose. You can't be given away your goods, man.

29:46Rich Eisen:You know what? But I'm a giver. Oh, okay. You know what I mean? I'm a giver. I'm a giver. I mean, if Jordan had an exclusive deal with the Rich Eisen show, one, I wouldn't have given away. Are they giving those away? No. Two, I wouldn't be able to afford anything else around here. I know. You guys would be done. Yeah. I'm happy to have you on talking hoops as much as you want Whenever you want to go on vacation Again because you don't feel like working And you want me to host I am available You did that? I know these guys Carried me too They don't answer my texts Three hours You've been texting me in three years What was that?

30:29Rich Eisen:Did you not respond to a text? He hasn't texted me in at least three years matter of fact i am gonna look by the way in the last five minutes is there more truth being told here on this show than any other five minute period in recent days what's happening right here and you know i got roku i started watching roku well you should i did now this is funny i started watching it um and then i was like oh rich is on roku now all right but i saw a show with um my boy uh omar omar who designed shoes. He's an unbelievable designer. He designed the duck boot. And Keanu Reeves has this documentary with his partner.

31:12And I was locked in. And so I was like, man, I gotta talk to the powers that be. I got a show called Me and John Sally. Because I think it's funny. My life is hilarious. I laugh all the time. I did a show with my producing partner, Garrett Bass. And I I went to all the cities that I played in but wasn't allowed to go out. So I started in Portland, and I did all the things that people would do that a professional – we go to the cities, and I could tell you – my teammates could tell you where every Ruth Chris is, every P.F. Changs, and where you help girls get through college. They can tell you all of those places.

32:03Yeah, John.

32:04Rich Eisen:But in part... Is this your pitch right now? We might have to scrub the pitch a little bit. I'm not going to lie. John, you take places where you go to reinvest in the community. Reinvest. Reinvest your funds into the community. And help those with daddy issues. Because I'm a good dad. He's the best dad ever. I'm the greatest dad ever. This means something vastly different from what Rick is doing right now. There's dad and daddy. There's dad and daddy. I mean, daddy. Yeah. You're a rocker. We can say stuff. We're on the radio, too, but it's okay. And they laugh. They laugh. They're in the cars.

32:43Rich Eisen:Actually, somebody's on the phone line for you right now. Oh, really? Jason in Phoenix, Arizona, has got a question for John Sally. We haven't done this often, right? But, Jason, are you there? Yes, I'm here. Thank you. Okay. John Sally is on the program. Again, Sports Gone Wrong airs Wednesdays, 9 Eastern on Vice TV. What's your question for John Sally, Jason, in Phoenix? John, it's a pleasure. I'm a Detroit native. You guys made my life as a 13-year-old like the best you could possibly be. Oh, bless them. I want to know, as a bad boy, what it was like after MJ. Do you guys under the bus to the Tribune in 91 after shaking your hand and then said that y 'all were bad champions, back with basketball, this and that.

33:29Rich Eisen:But then to later get recruited by not only you, Buddha, and Rodman, and then to go play with them after that. What was that like? Was that awkward at all? Did y 'all have to make an agreement like, hey, just don't say nothing about that? Good question. Jason, it's Phoenix. Jason, I thought you were going to say, I already took that paternity test. You are not myself. Nice. No, let me just say this. we don't get recruited. This is a job for us. And going to Chicago, I was supposed to be a Chicago Bull first. At least that's what Jerry Krause told me to my three meetings as a high school. So you're talking about draft.

34:10Rich Eisen:He was like, I'm going to draft you. And Doug Collins is like, yeah. And I went and I hung out with Reinsdorf, who I still am really cool with because I do an event with him in Vegas. and I went three times and they said the ninth pick the Chicago Bulls and I started butting in my suit they said Brad Sellers and then I stretched and I was like and so I told Jerry he goes hey long tall he shoots the ball better than you do no he doesn't he goes I said, well, I'm going to take it out on him every time I play. And did you? Oh, yeah. And Brad Sellers is a good guy to me. But he didn't know what my idea was.

35:01My idea was I'm going to – I'm playing against you. I'm glad we won some of those games. But I was on a personal vendetta against him, Boston Celtics, who else? Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers. Like certain places that had me come in and didn't draft me, I went at them. But to go back to his question, when I got out of my deal in Toronto, and this may be controversial the way I say it, I was the only free slave in the NBA. And what I mean by that is I bought my rights back. So I had my waivers, and I can choose where I wanted to go. And when Jerry Krause called, I said yes. And James Edwards Buddha was already there, and Dennis was, Dennis is Dennis, was taking over at that spot.

35:52We went in, and for everybody out there, the NBA is like IBM. You play in the Los Angeles office or you play in the Chicago office. So I was in the NBA. When I was young, I just said I wanted to be in the NBA. I wanted to be a Celtic because I was a Celtic fan. I love green and white, but the red, white, and blue in Detroit was my colors.

36:14Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, and you, and thanks for the call, Jason. I was, I was in Michigan at, you know, as a student when the bad boys were taken off. Yeah. Mahorn and Chuck Daly wearing those suits looking like John Gotti. Oh, that's it. And, you know, and Isaiah and Dumars was like one of the only likable guys, you know, for New York Knick fans sitting there in Detroit. You guys just started beating the crap out of people. Lambier, I despised with a passion. Really? Yeah. What do you mean really? What do you mean really? He is the true American. I'll give you the floor. He comes in, takes over. Probably, I had great teammates.

36:54Ralph Lewis, Chuck Nevitt. Chuck Nevitt. Glenn Rice, Willie Bergen, and Brian Shaw. Matt Geiger. I love these guys. But Bill and Beer was about the team and winning. I it took me until I got came to my second Saturn return that means 60 and it made me realize that Bill Lambeer was the person who who carved and and chiseled steel against steel and was like you have all this talent stop wasting it that's what he told you yeah he said hey why do you miss foul shots I said what he said they're free and you can shoot put the ball in the basket every basket is worth$100 ,000 or$10 ,000. Man, I went from 68 to 79 to 80 because he would, and he didn't try to be my friend.

37:52He was the vet he was supposed to be. I didn't like a lot of things he did, but the proof is in the pudding. From the outside world, though, you know. That white-on-white crime got to stop.

38:06Rich Eisen:That white-on-white crime. That's not what I'm saying. And he was filthy. No, he was. Filthy. He was. Filthy. I just saw something. I did the Byron Scott podcast, and I talked about Maurice Lucas. Now, Maurice Lucas was filthy. Maurice Lucas was no joke. To this point, if I see Maurice Lucas now from over there, and he doesn't smile at me, I'm not. I don't care if the door's that way. I'm taking the window. This is not a man that you joke with. So Bill Lambier played the way they played. He didn't. He reached out at the ball. He boxed you out. And he played every single moment. There was no lag in his game.

38:50Rich Eisen:Well, there's somebody with an opposing point of view. Larry in French Lick, Indiana. You're on the radio. Well, come on, man. Were you on the court for that one? Yes, I was. What happened? What happened is. What happened? What happened was, this is the deal. If Bill Lambert was on the Boston Celtics, he'd be Heintzen. Okay. Right? So he played like a Celtic, like Grey Kite. He would be a Celtic. He played hard. Whatever ability he had, he worked it. I'm telling you. Sure. So what happened on the court that caused him to take down Larry and Larry to throw a basketball at him? Okay. So what happened is Larry pumped fake Dennis.

39:42Dennis went up and his leg got caught on Larry and then Larry fell. Okay. They both jumped, but he didn't care that Dennis's leg was wrapped around his neck. He cared that Bill Lambert was that close to him. and he went at Bill. But Bill didn't do anything that we don't do in basketball until your highness, I'm sorry, the Messiah of life. I'm sorry. Michael Jordan came into the league. And he wasn't allowed to hit. But everybody was getting hit, right? So if a guard came into the lane, you know, they were laying wood on. This was the bad boys era. Charles Oakley was now. But the real bad boys were the Celtics.

40:31And it's funny because, what's his name? James Worthy said that. They were so dirty. Danny Ainge was, Danny Ainge and Bill Ambeer won. He was, like, people wanted to kill, to this day,

40:46Rich Eisen:people want to kill Danny Ainge. Smart, good guy, but man, they want to go at him. Including Ace Bailey? Yes. For drafting him. But so when Larry threw the basketball, he was on, right? I mean, like what happened then? Well, he threw the basketball and the referee said, Your Highness, you can't do that. And they didn't find him. They didn't tech him. Nothing. They didn't tech him. No. No. This is crazy. When Robert Parrish was beating up Bill, the referee was standing there watching it like the rest of us, did not move until Bill was on the ground. and Robert Parrish just got a technical foul and was allowed to sit down.

41:26I heard all of America was cheering at that time. 80s was different, man. Yeah, it was at a point. I remember when guys were going to fight. I'm so happy I didn't play against Bob Lanier. Bob Lanier was left-handed, so that means he was going to fight Southpaw. And you didn't want to deal with that. You didn't want to deal with somebody fighting Southpaw.

41:47Rich Eisen:Isn't that the line from Airplane, right? Kareem told the kid, you know, you try dragging Walton and Lanier. I bust my butt every night up and down court. You tell your dad to try to drag Bob Lanier up and down. Walton and Lanier. Walton and Lanier, yeah. One of the best lines. He wasn't acting. He was being the character. That's called a full circle. John, you can come anytime you want. Why are you such a stranger here? Because he don't pay me. but besides talk about it you know I got I have I have habits I have to take care of they're called family daughters daughters always have their hair now wife is like yeah you know I want another Polite I want another reformer understood yeah it's tough well listen it's great to see your story I mean your stories you go on for days we can spend all three hours which is why once upon a time I gave this channel Go to NBC and say, hiya, brother.

42:49Rich Eisen:Okay, I will do such a thing. I think you just did it anyway yourself. Sports Gone Wrong airs Wednesdays at 9 Eastern time on Vice TV, at the John Sally or at John Sally, depending on where you want to find this man online. Good to see you, sir. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need.

43:26Rich Eisen:Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eisen. Terms and conditions apply. Rich Eisen here for Gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated. But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much. Small businesses are no different. Payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, and all the details that keep things moving may not be the most visible part of the job, but they still have to be handled right.

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44:41Rich Eisen:That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich.

44:52Rich Eisen:When was the first time you met Jordan? When was the first time you met him, shook his hand, covered him, or something like that? Yeah, the first time I met him was at that Midsummer Night's Dream game out there in LA. And we just had, you know, that was a time where guys would play in these All-Star games during the summer and it was a real game. You know, it wasn't like they were out there like Globetrotters or something. They actually really were playing with egos involved. So that was the first time I had met them then. And we just sort of met after the game, talked and exchanged phone numbers and saw the rest in terms of how our relationship developed.

45:25Rich Eisen:It developed from that. Well, I mean, if there's one thing that anybody learned from this documentary is that anything that Jordan ever played in wasn't just a regular game. Right. That was a real, you know, that's one thing that I'm sure if anybody needed to be introduced to Jordan, and there's a whole generation that did, they just learned that. And I've asked this question of every single person who we've had on this show. Did you learn anything on The Last Dance, Ahmad Rashad? No, I didn't. I didn't because I think, you know, it's like you said when you introduced me, I had a catbird speak to all of it.

46:01Rich Eisen:And it was one of those different sort of, I've never sort of been in a situation where I had sort of free access to the locker room, you know, to the training room, to their buses. I was just there. So I got a chance to see a lot of those things. But, you know, as a former athlete, I sort of knew about a lot of them, too. I was glad that people got a chance to see the human side of Michael. And you see how much, how competitive he was and how demanding he was. And I think what I take from that is, if you think Larry Bird wasn't like that, and if you think Magic Johnson wasn't like that, then you're not really thinking the right way.

46:39Rich Eisen:So it wasn't just Michael that was just a win at all costs, put your foot on the guy's neck kind of thing. All these guys were able to do that, but Michael, what separated him was, his athletic ability was way above anybody's at that point. that was Ahmad Rashad I believe um when we were on the air during COVID one of the many reasons why I love you guys love working here is we all stuck together right no man and we were all making decisions collectively as a team and whatever reason why I bring that accountable but we we were covering the last dance week to week as if it was a major sporting event It was crazy.

47:20Rich Eisen:Right? There's no anything going on. Because everybody was like, that was when they checked everyone together, man, was the last stand. The episode would be on a Sunday. We would come on the air on a Monday like we were covering the big event from the day before. Yep. So we started, we realized that that's the cadence of the sports world during that awful time. So we had what? We had Judd Bushler on once. We had, was it Will Perdue? BJ came in. Armstrong, right? He was on a few times. Right, and then we had Ahmad Rashad as well. We were just trying to get somebody from that week's episode the day after the episode aired.

47:59Rich Eisen:And then I interviewed, after the final episode of The Last Dance, I interviewed an old, old friend, which was my hair.

48:10Rich Eisen:Showing my kids, episode 10 is where I finally appeared as a sports editor. I could talk about Dennis Rodman not showing up because he was at the wrestling. He was a member of the NWO. Oh, yeah, that's right. Right? Yeah. He went to the WCW Monday Nitro. They popped me in there doing a lead-in on SportsCenter about that, and my kids were just like, who is that? Who is that man? Is that your brother? No, he's equally as challenged, apholically. Sir, Brett in San Diego has been hanging on forever. He might have been the one who waved goodbye to Daniel Jeremiah on his trip about five hours ago. You there, Brett?

48:48Rich Eisen:Yeah, I'm here. What's up? What's in your mind, sir? I just wanted to see what you thought of the Chargers this season, what their win-loss record is going to be. Well, why don't you choose, Brett? We've got two minutes to go for the win-loss game. Let's go. All right, here we go. It starts in Brazil. What happens when the Chiefs play the Chargers in Brazil? I've only seen them beat them three times my entire fandom, and I might be going to this game. I think we lose week one. Well, you can check it out on YouTube if you don't go to the game. All right, we only have about a minute and change to go, so let's whip through it at the Vegas Raiders on a Monday night.

49:23Rich Eisen:What do you have? Oh, yeah, we're beating them. All right, 1-1 home for the Broncos now. Beating them. 2-1 at the Giants. Yep, beating them. 3-1 home for the Commanders. We're taking a lot there. 3-2 at the Dolphins. Beating them. 4-2 home for the Colts. Beating them. 5-2. You've got the Vikings and J.J. McCarthy from Team 144 with Jim coming to the house on a Thursday night. Yep, we're in the Super Chargers that game. We beat them. 6-2 at the Titans. Beating them. 7-2 home for the Steelers. It's going to be loud in there. We're going to lose that one. 7-3 at the Jaguars. I think we beat them.

50:03Rich Eisen:8-3 off the bye, home for the Raiders. Yep, we're sweeping up. All right, 9-3 home for the Eagles on a Monday night. Yep, I saw what happened to the Rams last season. I think we dropped that one. 9-4 at the Chiefs. Beat them. Beat them in December. Oh, 10-4 at the Cowboys. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We're beating the Cowboys. Should have hired Jim. Should have hired him. 11-4, home for the Texans to try and avenge the playoff loss. Texans, I was at that wild card game. I was sick as a dog. I think we get revenge. 12-4 at the Broncos. And, yep, we're beating them. 13-4. Dang. Says Brett in San Diego.

50:45Rich Eisen:Thank you for the call. That's Brett in San Diego. Was he screen recording that conversation? I heard a little ding at the end. Did you hear that? Yeah, perhaps. Or maybe that's just a 15-second warning that we're about to go off the air. Great show, everybody. Appreciate you taking it in. We'll be back to wrap it up on the Roku Sports Channel. On Roku in a sec. you matched on hinge you're vibing then her energy completely changes what do you do i'm raven smith and i wrote and read a real love story about this exact sitch listen to the free audiobook now