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Dennis Rodman - Num 73 - Pos: Forward - Retired
Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961 in Trenton, New Jersey) is a professional basketball player best known for his defensive and rebounding ability, leading the National Basketball Association in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times. He is also well-known for his controversial antics on and off the court. He has been featured in several television and film roles.
When Rodman entered the NBA in 1986, he was officially listed as 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) while playing one of the most physical positions in basketball at power forward. Despite often being matched at a height disadvantage, he became one of the most dominant rebounders in NBA history, and was also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Rodman was able to overcome being a few inches shorter than his counterparts with his willingness to put his body on the line for any rebound, his intense work ethic, his incredible physical strength, and his expert knowledge of the game.
Rodman, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, was far from a basketball prospect in high school; he only became one when he grew 11 inches (27 cm) in one year, late in his teenage years. After a stint at Cooke County College in Gainesville, Texas, he played for Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school. There, he was a good scorer as well as a good rebounder, but was not yet known for his antics.
The Detroit Pistons took sufficient notice of him to select him in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft. At that time, the Pistons were an up-and-coming team led by Isiah Thomas at point guard, Joe Dumars at shooting guard, and Bill Laimbeer at center. They had notable role players in Adrian Dantley, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, and Rick Mahorn. Rodman's intensity was a perfect fit for a team known for its rough style of play and tenacious defense. The Pistons were knocked out of the playoffs in 1987 by their nemesis Boston Celtics, although Rodman did a decent job of guarding their star player, Larry Bird.
In 1988, Rodman seemed to show even more star potential, crashing the boards more and defending better than before. In 1989, he was finally recognized for his work by being named Defensive Player of the Year, the first of his two consecutive DPOY awards. He finished second to Laimbeer in rebounding on the team, and Rodman helped the Pistons put away the young Chicago Bulls for the second straight year as they won their first NBA championship. The following year was almost identical, with the Pistons beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals again, winning their second straight championship, and Rodman again winning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Rodman led the Pistons with 12.5 rebounds per game in 1991. In 1992, Rodman improved significantly, averaging over eighteen per game as he won the first of seven straight rebounding titles. In a March 1992 game, he totaled a career high 34 total rebounds [1]. Rodman's second best rebounding performance was in 1993, in his last season with the Pistons.
One night late during the 1992-93 NBA season, he was found sitting in his pickup truck with a loaded shotgun in the Pistons' parking lot. Rodman claimed in one of his two autobiographies that that night was when he killed the old Dennis and let the new Dennis emerge. In the offseason he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Sean Elliott.
In San Antonio, Rodman continued his glass-cleaning expertise and allowed center David Robinson to focus more on scoring; Robinson won the scoring title. It marked the first time that teammates won both the scoring and rebounding title, but it would not be the last for Rodman. The following season, Rodman helped San Antonio to their then-franchise best win-loss record of 62-20, and they made it to the Western Conference finals. However, his increasingly erratic off-court life, including a brief but heavily-publicized relationship with singer Madonna, and on-court antics, such as dying his hair, proved too much for the Spurs.
Following the 1994-95 season, Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue in order to fill a large void at power forward left by Horace Grant. The Bulls, with Rodman and Michael Jordan's return from retirement improved 25 games from the previous year's 47-35 record to an NBA record 72-10 regular season finish in the 1995-96 season. Later, in the playoffs, the Bulls easily made their way to the NBA Finals and the NBA championship. Rodman, Jordan, and Scottie Pippen all made the All-Defensive First Team, the first time three players from the same team made it on the first team. Rodman led the league in rebounding for the fifth straight year, and Jordan won the scoring title, the second time that teammates had led the league in scoring and rebounding. They would repeat in 1997 and 1998 as the team three-peated for the second time in the decade.
Rodman was known for his shocking behavior on the court, including his head butt of referee Ted Bernhardt [2] during a game in New Jersey on March 16, 1996. On January 15, 1997, Rodman was involved in another notorious incident during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin [3]. Though he was not assessed a technical foul at the time, Rodman ultimately paid Amos a $200,000 settlement, and the league suspended Rodman for 11 games.
Rodman left Chicago after the 1997-98 season as the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase. He also finished his last major season, as he would only have brief stints with other NBA teams. Rodman was the premier rebounder of the 1990s with seven straight titles, and matched up defensively with players ranging from Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, to Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, and Charles Barkley. His most impressive feat was during the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, when Rodman shut down the 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 235 lb (107 kg) Horace Grant and helped contain the 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 330 lb (150 kg) O'Neal, key to the Bulls' eventual sweep of the defending Eastern Conference champs.
After his stint with the Bulls, Rodman became a journeyman, briefly joining the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, creating more controversy than actually contributing athletically. After a long break, he has played for the Tijuana Dragons of the newly-formed American Basketball Association and competed in two games for the Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League.
Rodman is known for his controversial behavior and outlandish appearance and being notoriously prone to cursing in public or on live television during his playing career. He sported numerous tattoos and piercings, and frequently dyed his hair a bright, artificial color.
Rodman was also briefly married to Carmen Electra, and famously wore a wedding dress at a public appearance to promote his autobiography As Bad as I Wanna Be, ISBN 0440222664. He was the winner of the Yucatan edition of the reality television series Celebrity Mole, shocking many since he virtually took no notes during the show, and when he did, he would simply write them down on a piece of napkin.
He also dated Madonna, and claims in his first autobiography that she actively tried to have a baby with him.
Rodman wrestled a few matches for World Championship Wrestling and was a member of the nWo with Hulk Hogan. His first match was at Bash At the Beach '97 on July 13, 1997. He teamed with Hogan and lost to Lex Luger and The Giant. At Bash At the Beach '98 on July 12, 1998, Rodman & Hogan defeated Karl Malone & Diamond Dallas Page. He later appeared in TNA, generating boos from the crowd for being in the event and doing nothing.
In 1997 Rodman made his feature film debut in the action film Double Team alongside Jean Claude Van Damme. The film was critically panned and his performance earned him three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst New Star, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple (shared with Van Damme). Rodman also starred in Simon Sez, a 1999 action/comedy and co-starred with Tom Beringer in a 2000 action film about skydyving titled Cutaway. Since then he has appeared in few acting roles outside of playing himself.
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