This NBA legend had to wait ten years for his desire to play for the Chicago Bulls.
Before the start of the 1986-87 NBA season, Michael Jordan had already begun to establish himself as one of the NBA’s most beloved superstars.
MJ was growing at an impressive speed, but the Chicago Bulls were not yet contending for the NBA Championship. So it wasn’t surprising that the Bulls had the ninth overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.
Despite the mediocre draft class, at most, a few players created names for themselves later in their careers, including Dennis Rodman, Mark Price, and John Sally.
Jerry Krauss, the mastermind behind the Bulls’ golden age in the 1990s, did the difficult task of picking them in ninth place.
However, according to Detroit Pistons legend John Sally, Klaus had promised to call his name on draft night.
“I was supposed to be the Chicago Bull first, and that’s what Jerry Kraus told me at three meetings (college player) and he said, ‘I’m going to draft you.’ Doug Collins is a good guy.
“… Then they said, ‘Ninth Pick, the Chicago Bulls’, and I started buttoning my suits, and they said, ‘Blood Cellars’.
Sally ended up falling to the Pistons as his 11th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. However, it turns out to be a blessing for Sally’s disguise.
After all, he won two NBA championships in a six-year stint with the Pistons. Sally eventually found her way to the Bulls as she won the ring with Chicago during the 1995-96 NBA season.
The Bulls’ original pick, Seller, was out of the league after just six seasons, causing a worse NBA career.
On top of that, Sally apparently made sure to take his A-game to the table whenever he locked the seller and horn with hardwood.
“Jerry goes, ‘Hey, taller, he (the seller) shoots the ball better than you. I said, ‘No, he won’t.
He added: “Brad Sellers is a good guy for me, but he didn’t know what my thoughts were. My thoughts were meant to play with you.
“We’re happy we won some of those games, but I was in a personal revenge against him.”
For context, Sally shot 50.6% off the field throughout his career, compared to 45.2% of sellers. On top of that, Sally had an astounding 14-6 record against the sellers.