“McHale taught me more about basketball than any other big man” – John Salley on how Kevin McHale served as an inspiration for him originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Before John Salley became a four-time NBA champion and an integral part of the Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boys” identity, he was just a rookie forward trying to survive against the best post players in the world. And among all the legends he faced, it wasn’t Larry Bird, Julius Erving, or even his teammate Dennis Rodman who left the deepest impression. It was Boston Celtics forward Kevin McHale.
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Despite the heated Pistons-Celtics rivalry, Salley says no other player — coach or otherwise — taught him more about the game of basketball than McHale.
Salley was in awe of McHale
When John entered the NBA in 1986, McHale had just started grabbing the spotlight and entered his prime. The Celtics were the defending champs heading into the season. The Minnesota native wholeheartedly appeared as the new king in Boston, having averaged a series-high scoring average of 25.8 points per game in that championship round against the Houston Rockets.
Moreover, when McHale faced Salley’s Pistons in the regular season, he was nothing short of a nightmare for them. He dismantled all of Detroit’s defensive plans, made their double teams scramble, forced them into making untimely decisions in the paint and most importantly, scored almost effortlessly.
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McHale averaged a staggering 28.4 points on 58.9 percent shooting from the field, along with 10.2 rebounds over five regular-season contests against the Pistons.
Naturally, he struck fear into the Pistons’ defensive core. And when the two teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals that year, McHale didn’t slow down. He continued his steady output, averaging 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and a series-high 1.6 blocks per game.
So, even though McHale wasn’t on Salley’s team, the seven-time All-Star appeared as a source of inspiration on how to become a lethal two-way force for young Salley.
“Kevin McHale taught me more about basketball than, I would say, than any other big man, coach. The way he move his body, lean. The other side, looks like his body is halfway leaned over, halfway down, but his head is up here, it’s a weird look,” Salley said. “He would spin, catch you, make you go up, lean on you. Once he caught the ball, you were at his mercy.”
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Kevin was an inspiration to many
While McHale’s game was never flashy, it was one of the most impactful styles the league had seen. He didn’t have a signature move like Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s skyhook, but his up-and-under fakes, spin moves, and fadeaway jumpers were deadly in their own right.
Safe to say that at one point, if McHale had the ball in the post, it was almost guaranteed the Celtics were about to score, regardless of what the defense did.
More notably, Salley’s acknowledgment of Kevin’s brilliance, especially when entering the league at a time when the Pistons vs. Celtics rivalry had just entered its peak, speaks volumes about McHale’s impact.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.