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Lakers and Bulls Champion Reveals Untold Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant Stories

Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls champion John Salley spoke on the two all-time greats
Joey Linn|
Jan 12, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls class of 2024 Ring of Honor inductees from left to right, (Back Row) Jim Cleamons, Erik Heiland, Ivika Duran, Clarence Gaines, Jr., John Ligmanowski, Chip Schaefer, Jim Stack, Al Vermeil (Middle Row) Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Coffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Jr., Ron Harper, Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, John Salley, Steve Kerr (Front Row) Artis Gilmore, Matt Kerr, Greg Klein, Bob Love, JJ Parrish, Thelma Krause, Chris Winter, Phil
Jan 12, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls class of 2024 Ring of Honor inductees from left to right, (Back Row) Jim Cleamons, Erik Heiland, Ivika Duran, Clarence Gaines, Jr., John Ligmanowski, Chip Schaefer, Jim Stack, Al Vermeil (Middle Row) Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Coffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Jr., Ron Harper, Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, John Salley, Steve Kerr (Front Row) Artis Gilmore, Matt Kerr, Greg Klein, Bob Love, JJ Parrish, Thelma Krause, Chris Winter, Phil | Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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Four-time NBA champion John Salley won titles with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Winning with Michael Jordan and Chicago in 1996, Salley then won with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2000.

During a recent appearance on Gil's Arena, Salley revealed the difference between playing with Jordan and Bryant at the times he crossed paths with the two all-time greats.

"It was crazy that we had a plane that had a bar in the middle of it," Salley said of his time in Chicago. "We had the old MGM plane. We had security... Michael Jordan's security used to fly on his jet, land and meet our jet."

On being with Bryant, Salley added, "Now being with Kobe it was different, because I got to go to dinner with him. We go to TGI Fridays, there's nobody really going, 'Oh, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe' because he's only 19, 20. But then he grew into that, what he became. By the time I got to Michael, Michael was already - he was your Highness."

On the ultimate difference between the Lakers and Bulls in those years, Salley said, "The Lakers were way cheaper than the Bulls, which is almost impossible. Like the Bulls had three massage therapists, a swimming pool to train in, four trainers, strength coach."

The Bulls were certainly a one of one franchise while they had Jordan.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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