John Salley reveals his Detroit Pistons teammates were mad at him for shaking Michael Jordan's hands after losing: "Ask me how many f***s I give"
Four-time NBA champion John Salley reflected on shaking Michael Jordan's hand after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.
The Pistons defeated the Bulls back-to-back in 1989 and 1990, however, in 1991, the Bulls swept the Pistons 4-0. In an interview with DJVlad, Salley stated:
"The reason I did is one because MJ is my frat brother and my friend and Scottie and I talked to Horace Grant, like, text him not too long ago I'm still cool with Horace. I recruited him in college so I stayed cool with him and Scottie at that time and I just didn't think it was a smart move.
"I think so. Ask me how many f***s I give and they know that. They know that I always was I don't think so. I don't think that's the right thing to do and I wasn't doing that to MJ I wasn't."
Isiah Thomas regrets not shaking hands with Michael Jordan
In an old episode of NBA TV's Open Court, Isiah Thomas has himself stated that he regrets not shaking hands with Michael Jordan after the Bulls triumphed over the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.
Thomas also elaborated that the decision not to shake hands after the game was a spur of the moment thing instead of something more insidious. The Pistons had beaten the Bulls in the years prior and the Bulls swept them in 1991.
The Bulls-Pistons rivalry was propped up even more by the Jordan-Thomas rivalry in the NBA, with the Pistons having designated "Jordan rules" when playing against the Chicago Bulls. Pistons head coach Chuck Daly had specific rules to deter Jordan from having a high-scoring game.
Isiah Thomas has also stated that he has paid the price for not shaking hands with the Bulls after their game, and has spoken about how his decision not to shake Michael Jordan's hand might have directly affected his selection for the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, affectionately known as the Dream Team.
"Looking back, if I'm not a part of the Dream Team because a lapse in emotion in terms of not shaking someone's hand ... then I am more disappointed today than I was back then."
Isiah Thomas is still "hurt" that he was left off the Dream Team. https://t.co/YkRt8zIY09
Michael Jordan and Thomas' iffy relationship has been the subject of several debates regarding the Dream Team and whether or not leaving Isiah Thomas was a prudent decision or not.
Thomas is a two-time NBA champion, 1990 Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, and five-time All-NBA honoree. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2000. He was named to both the 50th and the 75th Anniversary Teams.