John Salley describes unwritten laws of beef among teammates in NBA: "Rick punched me in the jaw & Sid kicked me in the leg”
John Salley didn't have the same reaction when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole in practice this offseason. Although it shook the NBA community to its core, it may have rocked the rest of the world more than the Warriors' locker room. Immediately, talk surfaced of whether or not the era of Golden State's Big Three was finally at an end, or if the team would be able to move past the situation.
Add onto that the fact that Green was entering the final guaranteed year of his contract and the team was in a position to offer Poole a contract extension. As a result, there was much concern regarding whether the team would still offer Poole the extension and whether or not that would result in Green opting out of his contract at the end of the season.
Despite all of that, the pair put the situation behind them and set out on their quest to win back-to-back titles. Although it hasn't been a great season for the Warriors (15-18), the fact that Green and Poole have managed to put things behind them is a great sign. To Salley, scuffles between teammates are more common than the average fan would think.
"Bill Laimbeer did the whole hockey fight, pull my jersey over my head," Salley said. "So, it happens. It's going to happen. Those fights are going to happen. ... My first experience in a fight in practice was Sid Green and Rick Mahorn. It was the first day of training camp, and I don't realize we're all fighting for a job. I'm just happy to be in the NBA.
"Rick and Sid get into it, and I jump in between I say, 'Hey, fellas, we all on one team.' Rick punched me in the jaw, and Sid kicked me in the leg. They were like, 'Stay outta grown folks business!' And I looked at Chuck Daly, and he was like, 'Get up,' and I got up, and I was realizing, 'Oh, this is real. This is how it is.'"
You can view his comments in an interview with Vlad TV above. His story begins shortly after the 5:30 mark.
John Salley's historic career, and his front-row seat to countless fights
John Salley pretty much saw it all throughout his career. Early on, he was a key part of the Bad Boy Pistons' back-to-back championship runs. At the end of his career, Salley served as a locker room leader in the Chicago Bulls' 1995-96 title run and the 1999-00 LA Lakers's championship run.
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One of the most notable fights Salley had a front-row seat to was the showdown between Bill Laimbeer and Larry Bird. Laimbeer, who had a reputation for being an incredibly dirty player who administered hard fouls to players, started a scuffle with Larry Bird in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals.
Many believed that Laimbeer was simply out to get Bird like he had so many times in the past. Despite that, John Salley revealed earlier this year that in his opinion, Laimbeer's reputation resulted in him being unfairly criticized for the situation.
"It literally was Dennis' leg got caught in Larry, and Dennis fell and Bill got caught in it. I promise you, I've watched it a thousand times."
You can view the play in question in the video below.
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