Looking to "Pull a John Salley"

I know a bargain when I see one.

However, a Pomeranian can have puppies in the oven, but that does not make them biscuits. Three for one beers sounds like a great promotion for a Thursday night at a local East Meadow bar, but this can sometimes attract the type of client that will talk non-stop for 45 minutes and make me feel like a guest on “The View”! (Hey ,do YOU ever feel like the gal washing your hair at your barbershop was formerly at Guantanamo Bay specializing in waterboarding terrorist suspects?)

On this particular night there seemed to be an influx of parents of high school students (they must have just finished watching a sports event or attending a meeting or something).

A few parents that I know came over to say hello, politely converse and save me from answering inane questions like, "What is it about trailer parks that they seem to attract Tornados?” The conversation with these new arrivals quickly turned to youth sports, college costs and scholarships and careers in sports.

Now most parents think that their child is the next Lebron, Jeter, Tiger, or Namath. And I said  that the problem here is that kids should look to “Pull a John Salley” instead. This was followed by a quiet hush, a furrowing of eyebrows and a quizzical look of “Who the HELL is John Salley?”

Let me explain.....

John "Spider" Salley (born May 16, 1964) was a professional basketball player and also is an actor and talk show host. He was the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises, but he worked very, very hard to get there. I grew up playing in the school yard with this amazing young man who was only six years younger than me.

Salley was born poor and grew up in the Bayview housing projects, three blocks from my home in Canarsie, Brooklyn. John was made fun of as a child because of his small size and pinched back ears, which happened when the doctor used instruments to assist in trying to remove him at birth.

Salley played high school sports at Canarsie High School in Brooklyn, where he studied hard and excelled at track, baseball and basketball. He worked at these every day without fail, weather never stopped him.

Salley was small when he entered Canarsie High School, about 5 feet 5 inches. He grew over 15 inches at summer camp when he was 15 and just kept sprouting up each year with crazy growth spurts till he attained a height well over 6 1/2 feet.

His mother shopped at Goodwill stores and got many hand me downs for him. He attended Georgia Tech on a partial scholarship and worked hard to make his college team, do his studies and work two jobs at school. He still holds Georgia Tech's blocked shot record, and has had his jersey number 22 retired (a very rare honor in college basketball).

At an adult height of 6' 12", Salley played for the Bulls, Lakers, Pistons, Heat and Raptors. His nickname "Spider" came from  Salley's childhood fear of the arachnid and not the flailing way he jumped when dunking a shot. Salley played with the Chicago Bulls, where he helped Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman win the NBA championship two years in a row. Later he played with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, helping them win consecutive NBA championships as well.

After retiring from Pro basketball, John Salley had roles in in such movies  as, Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Eddie with Whoopi Goldberg, Mr. 3000, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and more. He has been in such TV series shows as Rescue Me, Malcolm & Eddie, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and more.

Besides those, he has been on many reality shows , sports shows and even hosted his own TV talk show and radio show. In 2006  Salley was named the Commissioner of the American Basketball Association and wrestled against WWE superstar John Cena at a Wrestlemania event.

Salley is very involved in charity work. He is a devout vegan (Loves vegetarian liver! Since when did carrots have internal organs? I heard  of a head of lettuce, ear of corn and eye of potato, but a broccoli bile duct? Oops back to the topic!) and helps out with Juvenile Diabetes, Lupus, Farm Aid, and an assortment of Cancer and AIDS fundraisers. He is also ambassador for the Operation Smile charity. Salley has been devotedly married to Natasha Duffy since 1993 and they have two children.

But most people have no idea who this successful person is. Proving that not every successful celebrity yearns to be in the limelight constantly. That, with the right amount of hard work and talent, they can have a lot of money and success and not be a household name or paparazzi target.

They can put in the effort and hang out with many household celebrity names, day in and day out. It is just something they have to deal with because of their chosen careers. And some are just better than others at performing exceptionally and still fading into the background, instead of being a Lohan or Serena Williams-like spectacle.

And maybe the youth of today should really be aware of that and aspire to be a Salley too.