John Salmons

John Rashall Salmons (born December 12, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Miami.

Early life and education
Salmons was born on December 12, 1979, in Philadelphia.

High school career
In 1997, Salmons was a member of a Pennsylvania high school state championship team while playing for Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. As a high school basketball player for Plymouth-Whitemarsh, he reached the 1,000 point club.

College career
He went on to play college basketball at the University of Miami, where he was a four-year starter for the Hurricanes. He started 107 consecutive games for Miami, the second longest streak in school history. He was also the first player in school history to surpass 1000 career points (1287), 600 rebounds (687), 400 assists (433), and 150 steals (192).

Philadelphia 76ers (2002–2006)
Salmons was drafted out of the University of Miami by the San Antonio Spurs with the 26th overall selection in the 2002 NBA draft. He was then immediately traded with Mark Bryant and the rights to Randy Holcomb to the Philadelphia 76ers for Speedy Claxton. Salmons played for the 76ers through the 2006 season, averaging 4.1 points per game.

Sacramento Kings (2006–2009)
Salmons was set to be acquired by the Toronto Raptors on July 13, 2006, in a sign-and-trade deal with Philadelphia. On July 21, 2006, however, there were reports that Salmons was having second thoughts about going to Toronto, and the sign and trade to Toronto was canceled.

On July 24, 2006, Salmons signed a multi-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. On December 22, 2006, he recorded his first triple-double of his NBA career against the Denver Nuggets with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Chicago Bulls (2009–2010)
Salmons and Brad Miller were traded to the Chicago Bulls on February 18, 2009, in exchange for Cedric Simmons, Drew Gooden, Andrés Nocioni, and Michael Ruffin. In 2009, Salmons proved to be a key contributor, helping lead the Bulls to the 2009 NBA Playoffs. In Chicago, he continued to average over 18 points per game for the season. Salmons also logged a whopping 44.7 minutes per game in the playoffs, in part because there were a combined seven overtime periods in the Bulls' first round series against the Boston Celtics. The Bulls were eventually eliminated in game seven of that series.

Milwaukee Bucks (2010–2011)
On February 18, 2010, Salmons was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, and the Bulls' second round picks in 2011 and 2012, with the Bucks given the option to swap first-round picks, provided it is not a top 10 pick, in the 2010 NBA draft. In Milwaukee, Salmons averaged nearly 20 points per game for the Bucks after his acquisition. He opted out of his final year of his contract but then signed a five-year deal to stay with the Bucks.

Return to Sacramento (2011–2013)
On June 23, 2011, he was traded back to the Sacramento Kings as part of a three-way deal including the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Bobcats. The Kings received Jimmer Fredette in the transaction.

Toronto Raptors (2013–2014)
On December 9, 2013, the Kings traded Salmons, Greivis Vásquez, Patrick Patterson, and Chuck Hayes to the Toronto Raptors for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy, and Aaron Gray.

On June 30, 2014, Salmons was traded, along with a 2015 second round pick, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Louis Williams and the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira. On July 10, 2014, he was waived by the Hawks.

New Orleans Pelicans (2014–2015)
On August 26, 2014, Salmons signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.

In Salmons' final NBA game on February 2, 2015, a 115–100 win over the Atlanta Hawks, he played for only 7 and a half minutes and recorded no points and only one assist.

On February 19, 2015, Salmons was traded to the Phoenix Suns as a part of a three-team deal with the Miami Heat. Later that month, Salmons and Kendall Marshall were both waived.

Personal life
Salmons is a Christian. He has spoken on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In 2018, Salmons was inducted into his alma mater's Sports Hall of Fame.