“This is a job for us” – Salley on why it was easy for him and Rodman to play with MJ and the Bulls after being rivals originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Rare sports rivalries had more bad blood and hatred than the one between the Detroit Pistons‘ Bad Boys and the rising Chicago Bulls. One was a rugged championship team full of veterans who didn’t shy away from getting dirty versus a young team led by budding stars, most notably Michael Jordan.
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It created lifelong beefs between individuals, as some still are not over it. However, certain players managed to get out of their feelings and even team up in the future, most notably Dennis Rodman and John Salley.
In a recent interview, Salley explained why he and Rodman didn’t have any trouble suiting up for the Bulls and finding common ground after years of being fierce rivals.
“I could choose where I wanted to go, and when Jerry Krause called, I said yes. James Edwards, Buddha, was already there. Dennis was Dennis. Taking over at that spot. We went in, and for everybody out there. The NBA is like IBM. You play in the Los Angeles office, or you play in the Chicago office. I was in the NBA. When I was young, I just said I wanted to be in the NBA,” Salley explained.
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The NBA is a business
While sports rivalries bring out the intensity, basketball and the NBA in particular are, at the end of the day, a business. The main objective is to get paid, and the best way to do it is by winning. So, getting over the hate from the past was no problem in order to win some more championships for MJ and Windy City.
“Let me just say this. We don’t get recruited. This is a job for us,” John added.
Rodman joined the Bulls ahead of the 1995-96 season and proved to be a vital cog that would help them go on another three-peat and establish themselves as a dynasty. The Worm would play a considerable part and be the starting power forward, doing what he does best — securing the boards, playing defense, and all the dirty work in between.
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Salley, on the other hand, played 17 games that same season but ended up playing sparring minutes. John’s role was more of a locker room guy, as he and his former partner in the frontcourt, James Edwards, went from beating up MJ and the crew to being seasoned voices and stabilizers on the end of the bench.
Some fences needed to be mended
However, despite the former Bad Boys meshing with the Bulls, there was some work to be done. Rodman and Scottie Pippen had a storied history, and Phil Jackson wanted to make sure the duo would be on good terms by having Dennis apologize to Scottie.
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“Oh, that’s true. Everyone knows that story, that’s true. We sat down at Jerry Krause’s house, me, Michael, Scottie, and Phil Jackson, and we sat at his house, and I was outside with Phil talking to him, and he said, ‘Oh, Dennis, can you go in there?’ And I’m like, I said ‘I’ll do it.’ I went in and said, ‘Hey man, it’s no hard feelings, you know, man, I’m just happy to be here, hope you accept my hard work.’ Just went in and was trying to break the ice and stuff like that. He said ‘It’s all good, man, it’s all good,” – Dennis Rodman said via VladTV.
The Zen Master’s tactics worked wonders, as Pip and The Worm not only cooperated but also built some pretty good chemistry. It would be crucial and perfect to back up the great Jordan in the Bulls’ stellar run from 1996 to 1998.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.