Making it to the NBA is a dream only a few ever touch. Out of thousands of high school players, just about 60 get drafted each year. But is just getting in enough? The answer is no. In the competitive league that involves only the best of the best, it’s about surviving the grind. Players push through 82+ games a season, plus off-season training. Most of them are over six feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds, which puts serious pressure on their bodies, especially their hearts. That’s why we’ve seen heart-related conditions take down even the greats, like Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers.

John Salley, a four-time NBA champion, knows the toll. He spent 11 seasons in the league with teams like the Pistons, Heat, Raptors, and Bulls. But during his playing years, something unexpected forced a major change; he was diagnosed with high cholesterol. Even though he was one of the younger guys on the team, his levels were higher than the veterans’.

That pushed him to explore a vegan lifestyle in the early ’90s, long before it was trendy. Since then, he’s become a wellness advocate, investing in plant-based brands, speaking at health events, and even opening a vegan restaurant.

Recently, Salley sat down with DJ Vlad and opened up about the toll height and the game took on him. He said, “I was taking stem cells like people was smoking c—k, man.” He further added, “I had some fun out of it, but it wears on your body.” At 6’11”, nearly 7 feet, Salley admitted that the hardest part isn’t just finding clothes; it’s how the heart suffers. When asked what’s hardest about being tall, he answered, “Your heart. It doesn’t last as long as others.”

Vlad seemed shocked. Salley explained how the heart struggles to push blood from the toes back up to the head. “It’s a lot of strain for your heart to push blood all the way to the big toe and then back up to the top of your—the bottom of your cranium. Because blood doesn’t go all the way up.”

“That’s a lot,” he said plainly. When Vlad mentioned Kareem, Salley revealed, “I quadruple bypassed and did some things a lot of people don’t… there’s a 50-50 chance of getting past 60.” He even added that just fitting into clothes is a challenge. “Everything has to be made or be oversized by mistake.”

Now, Salley spends his days speaking, educating, and encouraging others to make heart-smart choices. For him, it’s not just about extending years; it’s about living them well.

From court hustles to clean plates, how John Salley turned a health scare into a mission

John Salley didn’t grow up vegan. In fact, he recalls his early NBA days ordering burgers, fries, and milkshakes during road trips. Meanwhile, his veteran teammate Adrian Dantley went for soup, a sandwich, and juice. “I learned about eating, real quick,” Salley said with a laugh. That moment planted a seed, but it wasn’t until his coach flagged his high cholesterol that the switch flipped. He made the leap in 1991 and never looked back.

He wasn’t always perfect in the beginning either. “Before going vegan, for about 15 years, I was what I would call a lying-to-myself vegetarian,” he admitted. He’d sneak in shrimp, lobster, and turkey on holidays and justify it by calling himself a pescatarian. But at 42, he got serious. “I stopped lying about food and lying to myself when I became a very focused vegan,” Salley said. Since then, he’s stayed committed for over 16 years.

Today, his meals are as clean as his message. “My current diet is a plant-based diet. It is not only plant-based, it’s almost raw,” he explained. He’s cut down on oils and cooks veggies just above 118°F. Most days, he’s prepping meals himself. His wellness goals aren’t just personal; they’re part of his public mission. That’s why he speaks at VegFests across the country and promotes vegan living through every platform he can.

“Everything I do, all the companies I work with, all the plans, align with my eco-vegan live-and-let-live mentality,” Salley once said. That includes launching vegan restaurants, promoting plant-based supplements, and even investing in natural wellness brands. For him, clean eating isn’t a trend; it’s survival. A lifestyle that began with a health scare became the foundation for everything he builds today.