Former NBA player John Salley once explained Michael Jordan’s killer instinct and David Stern’s role in it.
It has been more than two decades since Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan last played in the NBA.
While fans often ignore his two-year stint with the Washington Wizards, they love what MJ achieved during his time with the Bulls.
Jordan is often praised for his killer instinct that helped him lead the Bulls to six NBA Championships while also establishing himself as the greatest basketball player of all time in the eyes of most.
John Salley on Michael Jordan
Former NBA player John Salley is best known for his time with the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons. Evidently, he had a plethora of opportunities to take on Jordan during the prime of his career.
However, Salley also had the chance to share the locker room with the Bulls legend, albeit just for a single season. With that said, Salley once answered what made Mike’s ever-so-famous killer instinct stand out.
“The difference with Michael is Michael came in the NBA with David Stern. When he came in with David Stern, he came in with a brilliant agent, a brilliant lawyer, who realized he had a product to sell,” Salley claimed in 2017.
He added: “In developing that product we had to now make this product the Messiah. In order to get people to worship it, you got to make it the Messiah.”
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Salley implied that David Stern taking over as the NBA commissioner in 1984 and MJ entering the league the same year helped the Bulls star become the brand he is today.
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Salley once criticized Jordan for his fault in fabricating Pistons’ poor image
Being a member of the Pistons, Salley was once part of a bitter rivalry against the Bulls. Even decades later, most believe that Jordan overcoming the ‘Bad Boys’ remains one of the best accomplishments of his career.
Since then, many have criticized the Pistons. However, during a 1991 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Salley claimed that Jordan along with Phil Jackson, fabricated the Pistons’ poor image.
“It’s amazing how they get more foul shots than we do. We can’t do anything on defense. They drive and know they’ll get two points, or get foul shots. Amazing.
“Phil Jackson talked before the playoffs about our defense. Guess he knew he’d have to face up in the finals,” Salley said.
He added: “It was subliminal seduction. He has everyone convinced. Michael Jordan has everyone convinced we’re dirty players. Joe Dumars fouling out? He’s not a dirty player.”
The reality remains that the Pistons created the ‘Jordan Rules’ to ensure MJ had minimal impact on the game as they fouled him aggressively.
