John Salley is one of the most respected veterans of ’90s basketball, an ever-present face on multiple championship-contending teams because of his grit and toughness. Salley got along very well with stars across teams due to his unselfish nature and acute understanding of what he can provide to the team to ensure they can win.
The 4-time champion was talking to Shannon Sharpe on Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast where he named his ultimate starting 5, taking his name out of the lineup to ensure he got 5 of the greatest players of all time on his side.
.@thejohnsalley says 7 people would’ve been punched in the face on this team 🤣@ClubShayShay pic.twitter.com/zsBcN29xaB
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) November 8, 2022
“I’m not in there, I’m coaching. I would have Shaq, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Kobe Bryant, oh! I feel like I’m on Drink Champs. Shaquille, Kobe, Isiah, Michael, and Dennis Rodman. Let me tell you what would happen. Their record would be 7 people punched in the face. Michael is not going to pass the ball, Kobe is not going to pass the ball, Isiah, depending on the day, will tell you who’s going to get the ball. Dennis will play the toughest defense possible on whoever the other big is and Shaquille is gonna be in the middle.
This team would be incredibly fun to watch but as Salley pointed out, tempers would definitely be high at all times given the all-time abilities of all these players on a court with just one ball that all of them have to share.
Would This Team Be Unbeatable?
Over an 82-game series, even the toughest teams would not be able to go 82-0. But when it comes to one pickup game to 21, is there any group of talent that could stop Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, and Shaquille O’Neal? Probably not, unless you just pick out random names from NBA history. These are all former teammates of Salley’s.
Salley has played with some phenomenal players in his career, and these names don’t even tell the full story. He had to omit Bill Laimbeer while talking about his team and we hadn’t even gotten a mention of Scottie Pippen from this era. If you had to make a 10-man roster, this team goes deep.
Salley playing on 3 teams whose cores won multiple championships together means that he has probably the greatest teammates of all time. While this particular lineup may have trouble adjusting on the court, they would probably find their chemistry quickly and start dominating the competition.
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