John Salley explained the truth about steroids most fans seem to overlook: “It’s not going to make you a better player”

Much has been said about PED use in the sporting world. The general assumption is simple: athletes take performance-enhancing drugs because they make them better at what they do.

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But that doesn’t quite tell the whole story and that’s where the misconception starts.

As an athlete, John Salley understood the nuances of steroids and PED use. Salley tried to explain the distinction and why many sportsmen chose to dabble in it.

According to the four-time NBA champion, it’s all about creating an unfair advantage rather than becoming a superhero overnight.

Why athletes use steroids

Salley stopped by DJ Vlad’s YouTube channel five years ago and touched on a multitude of sporting topics. One of them is the rampant steroid use in sports, specifically baseball and basketball. Jose Canseco, for instance, admitted to extensive doping and blew the whistle on many of baseball’s hitting greats in his era.

Back in Salley’s day, the drug problem was more recreational than performance-related. That’s why the ’70s and ’80s NBA is often referred to as the “cocaine era,” since there was a widespread, league-wide epidemic of cocaine use at the time.

Steroid use, if any, was probably on the low end. As Spider attested to, the guys he played with and against were naturally strong men who didn’t need to juice to gain strength. Players like Darryl Dawkins, Karl Malone, Terry Cummings and Buck Williams came to mind.

If that’s the case, why has steroid use become so rampant?

“I asked this when I was on the ‘Best Damn Sports Show.’ What difference does it make if they use steroids? They go, ‘Well, they’re cheating.’ Then, I go, ‘It doesn’t make you hit the ball better,'” Salley

“They go, ‘Well, they make you stronger.” It doesn’t make you hit a curveball. It doesn’t make you hit a slider. It doesn’t at all. As a matter of fact, it’s almost impossible.”

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“It doesn’t make you a better home run hitter; you’re already a good hitter. What it does is you recover quicker the next day because they play every day. That was the problem. He said, ‘Well, if you’re recovering every day and everybody else is just being human, that’s not fair,'” added the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls big man.

The “benefits” of steroid use are obviously a point of contention. DJ Vlad pushed back by pointing out how much better and bigger guys like Barry Bonds were before and after doping.

“That doesn’t make them better baseball players,” Salley replied. “I’m sorry to say this, Vlad, but you’re wrong. If I hit you with a steroid, it’s going to make you a better player? No. It’s going to make you bigger and stronger, but it’s not going to make you a better player.”

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The long and short of it

Talking about the effects of PED use is truly a touchy topic. As Salley pointed out, using steroids doesn’t magically give a baseball player superhuman eyesight and reaction times. The advantage comes from what happens once the player makes contact, plus what they can sustain over a 162-game season.

But then again, if put that way, it could also be misleading. Faster recovery means somebody who’s juicing could train harder and longer, which could theoretically translate to becoming a better player in the long run.

In any case, the pros certainly don’t outweigh the cons when it comes to long-term consequences. Prolonged steroid use has been linked to serious health complications. Whatever competitive edge they may provide can come at a steep cost.

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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 10:42 AM.