Pistons Legend on “Hating” Michael Jordan: “I Have to Play This Game Like the End of My Life is Gonna Happen”

Pistons legend John Salley recently revealed that he hated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls with all his heart. In fact, the 58-year-old NBA veteran explained that he harbored a mortal hatred towards the Bulls to lend himself a competitive edge against them. However, in an ironic turn of events, Salley had to join Michael Jordan and the 1996 Bulls on a 10-day contract.

It didn’t take long for Michael Jordan to establish himself as the best player in the NBA. However, his bona fide greatness still lacked the authority of a world championship. In fact, the biggest obstacle that Jordan and his Bulls had to overcome to win a chip was the Detroit Pistons.

John Salley reveals his hatred for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

Pistons center John Salley revealed in a recent interview that he hated Michael Jordan and the Bulls with all his life. His revelation comes in the wake of former Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert professing his hatred for the Golden State Warriors. In fact, the 32-year-old guard revealed that he hated everything about the Dubs, especially the way they changed the game of basketball.

Meanwhile, Salley agreed that it is beneficial to hate your opponents to gain a competitive edge against them. “If you’re going to be competitive, you can’t be a fan,” said the four-time world champion. “You have to literally develop a hate.”

“I have to play this game like the end of my life is gonna happen,” he added.

However, Salley maintained a cordial relationship with many Bulls players and coaching staff. In fact, Jerry Krause was supposed to draft him for the Bulls in the 1986 NBA draft.

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As a result, Salley developed an antagonism towards the Chicago franchise after getting snubbed in the draft. He channeled his anger to fuel his motivation. However, in an interesting turn of events, the 6’11” forward would end up winning the 1996 championship with Chicago.

Jordan and the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons

The ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons caused Jordan a lot of problems early in his career. The Pistons of Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer got their ‘Bad Boy’ name from their physical style of play.

Jordan and the Bulls had to bear the brunt of their rough brand of play. The animosity between the two teams would culminate in the snubbing of Isiah Thomas from the 1992 Dream Team.

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