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Player profile · CHI / DET / LAL / MIA / TOR
John Salley
John Salley stats, teams and career impact
#924 all-timeCareer averages · 7.0 PPG · 4.5 RPG · 1.2 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 230 lb (104 kg)
- Born
- May 16, 1964 (62 yrs old)
- College
- Georgia Tech
- NBA seasons
- 11 seasons · 1986–87 to 1999–00
Career summaryJohn Salley was a power forward who played 11 NBA seasons, from 1986–87 through 1999–00.
- Career PPG
- 7.0
- Career RPG
- 4.5
- Career APG
- 1.2
- #63 in 1991–92
- #924 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why John Salley ranks #924 all time
John Salley ranks #924 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #74.0. His full-career value ranks #747, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
748 games · Career Value Rank #747
Head to head
Compare John Salley with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- John Salley vs. Cliff Levingston Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Cliff Robinson Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Maurice Lucas Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Harvey Grant Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Patrick Patterson Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Gar Heard Similar career path
- John Salley vs. Brad Lohaus Same-era comparison
- John Salley vs. Ken Norman Same-era comparison
- John Salley vs. B.J. Armstrong Same-era comparison
- John Salley vs. Willie Anderson Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 50.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 21.4%3P%
- Free throw
- 71.4%FT%
748 career games · 16,524 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
John Salley stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1999–00 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | -4.07 | LAL | 45 | 3 | 6.7 | 36.2% | — | 75.0% | — | -12.2 |
| 1995–96 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | -2.92 | CHI/TOR | 42 | 6 | 16.0 | 45.0% | — | 69.4% | #255 | -12.0 |
| 1994–95 | 7.3 | 4.5 | 1.6 | -1.68 | MIA | 75 | 50 | 26.1 | 49.9% | — | 73.9% | #195 | 12.2 |
| 1993–94 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 1.8 | -0.47 | MIA | 76 | 45 | 25.1 | 47.7% | 66.7% | 72.9% | #133 | 57.0 |
| 1992–93 | 8.3 | 6.1 | 1.6 | -1.58 | MIA | 51 | 34 | 27.9 | 50.2% | — | 79.9% | #189 | 11.7 |
| 1991–92 | 9.5 | 4.1 | 1.6 | +1.31 | DET | 72 | 38 | 24.6 | 51.2% | 0.0% | 71.5% | #63 | 111.9 |
| 1990–91 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 0.9 | +0.46 | DET | 74 | 1 | 22.3 | 47.5% | 0.0% | 72.7% | #91 | 77.6 |
| 1989–90 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 0.8 | +0.49 | DET | 82 | 12 | 23.3 | 51.2% | 25.0% | 71.3% | #88 | 93.8 |
| 1988–89 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 1.1 | -0.86 | DET | 67 | 21 | 21.8 | 49.8% | 0.0% | 69.2% | #138 | 33.0 |
| 1987–88 | 8.5 | 4.9 | 1.4 | +0.68 | DET | 82 | 16 | 24.4 | 56.6% | — | 70.9% | #71 | 110.0 |
| 1986–87 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 0.7 | -0.34 | DET | 82 | 2 | 17.8 | 56.2% | 0.0% | 61.4% | #105 | 51.3 |
| Career | 7.0 | 4.5 | 1.2 | — | CHI/DET/LAL/MIA/TOR | 748 | — | 22.1 | 50.6% | 21.4% | 71.4% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
88.6 composite · lower is better
83.6 average league finish
534 total value
Career standing
How John Salley ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score88.6
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 292.0
- Qualified seasons
- 10
- All-time rank
- #924
Strongest seasons
Every season
John Salley advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1999–00Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 35 | 45 | 303 | -4.07 | — | — | -12.2 | — | Limited |
| 1995–96Historical Defense Estimate | CHI/TOR | 31 | 42 | 673 | -2.92 | 21.8 | #255 | -12.0 | 25th | Standard |
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | MIA | 30 | 75 | 1,955 | -1.68 | 37.2 | #195 | 12.2 | 41st | Broad |
| 1993–94Historical Defense Estimate | MIA | 29 | 76 | 1,910 | -0.47 | 54.6 | #133 | 57.0 | 57th | Broad |
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | MIA | 28 | 51 | 1,422 | -1.58 | 36.3 | #189 | 11.7 | 37th | Broad |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 27 | 72 | 1,774 | +1.31 | 78.5 | #63 | 111.9 | 72nd | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 26 | 74 | 1,649 | +0.46 | 69.1 | #91 | 77.6 | 65th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 25 | 82 | 1,914 | +0.49 | 69.7 | #88 | 93.8 | 68th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 24 | 67 | 1,458 | -0.86 | 47.9 | #138 | 33.0 | 46th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 23 | 82 | 2,003 | +0.68 | 72.0 | #71 | 110.0 | 74th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 22 | 82 | 1,463 | -0.34 | 59.4 | #105 | 51.3 | 55th | Broad |
Career movement
John Salley's career impact by season
Peak +1.31 in 1991–92 · 11 seasons · 16,524 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’97
—’98
—’99
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
John SalleyCliff Levingston
| NBA season | John Salley | Cliff Levingston |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.3 | -1.6 |
| 2 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| 3 | -0.9 | 0.3 |
| 4 | 0.5 | -0.1 |
| 5 | 0.5 | -0.7 |
| 6 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| 7 | -1.6 | -0.1 |
| 8 | -0.5 | -1.5 |
| 9 | -1.7 | -2.3 |
| 10 | -2.9 | -0.4 |
| 11 | -4.1 | -4.2 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to John Salley
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PF · All-Time Career #1003
Cliff Levingston
94career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1991–92 ↔ 1987–88PF · All-Time Career #734Cliff Robinson
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1991–92 ↔ 1984–85PF · All-Time Career #717Maurice Lucas
92career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1991–92 ↔ 1977–78Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →