John Salley had strict rules about partying at his house: "Everyone was like 'Better not let John smell that weed'"

John Salley knew a thing or two about being a party animal and a responsible athlete.

He may not have reached the level of Magic Johnson during his Playboy days, but Salley had thrown a couple of wild parties at his beautiful house in the historic Palmer Woods neighborhood in Detroit.

According to “Spider,” he and the rest of the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons were welcomed to party at his crib. They could do whatever they want as long as they don’t smoke weed or do drugs.

That being said, Salley earned quite a reputation for having zero tolerance for violators in his territory.

Even though some of his teammates and friends didn’t like it, John is glad that he was able to prolong his career by being strict and disciplined.

“That’s why I had that big house,” Salley proudly told MLive in 2014. “My friends and I were always in the house. We had a place to hang out. It was a party. I didn’t drink or smoke weed and I remember somebody saying, ‘Yeah, Sal, you’re fun, but you’re really strict.’ And I remember another guy saying, ‘I can’t believe we’d have to sneak outside a huge mansion because everyone was like ‘Better not let John smell that weed or else he’ll kick everybody out of the house.’ I was just so paranoid about my career. I thought ‘Y’all aren’t going to come in here and smoke my career out of the league.'”

“I told everybody that was just the way it had to be (at my house),” he continued. “I still love women; I still love hangin’ and I still love partying. But yeah, if you were blessed enough to be at these parties, brother, (they were a good time). And I didn’t have to go nowhere.”

A woman got John fearing for his career

If it’s a grown-up party, there’s really no assurance that the host will be in control at all times. That’s exactly what happened one time when Salley invited some women to one of his house parties.

All the guests already knew how “Spider” refused to be associated with drugs because his priority was to protect his image and career. However, one female guest took a little longer than she should have in the restroom.

Being paranoid about jeopardizing his career over stupid things, John checked if the girl was fine, as he was already suspecting she was doing cocaine. As it turned out, Salley was right.

“So, anyway I kissed her and my tongue goes numb. She goes, ‘Oh, did something come out?’ I was so panicked I was like, ‘They’re gonna test me. Oh my God, I’m going to be kicked out of the league because you wanted to do cocaine'”

Salley is a party Hall of Famer

As a player, Salley may not have been as successful as other big-name NBA stars. However, the four-time NBA champion was able to build a legacy for being a party hound.

In his 11-year NBA career, John never became a regular starter with any team. Yet his pals recognized him for being a party starter.

All told, Salley deserves some recognition for being able to responsibly and effectively juggle his partying and career.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

John Salley had strict rules about partying at his house: “Everyone was like ‘Better not let John smell that weed'”

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