This five-time NBA champion had a swagger and persona that will never be repeated in any major professional sport. Dennis Rodman was known for his on court play just as much as he was known for his off court antics. On the court, Rodman was known for his sensational rebounding ability and his exceptional defense. Off the court, his reputation is that of a guy who today is best friends with the dictator of North Korea and being married to Carmen Electra for barely a year. The off court incidents went on for Rodman, but regardless, it never truly affected his basketball ability.
The Player
Dennis Rodman was a part of the Detroit Piston “Bad Boys” in the mid to late 1980’s. Later, he went on to have even more championship success with the Spurs and Bulls. While with Detroit, he was an integral part of their tenacious defense and scary persona. The “Bad Boys” consisted of Isaiah Thomas and Kevin McHale just to name a few players. As a Piston he was known to predominately play the small forward position. Although, when it came to the defensive end, he was there to shut down the opponents best player. He was not afraid to go up against the likes of Michael Jordan because he knew he had a defensive skill-set that very few players had. His versatility helped him defend all five positions which was so hard in the NBA at that time. When he moved onto the Spurs and Bulls, he switched to predominantly play power forward for even more rebounding help. Rodman was hands down the best rebounder of his era. He grabbed nearly 12,000 rebounds in his career which averages out to 13.1 per game for his career in only 31 averaged minutes. These numbers exemplify why he was so touted and feared when it came to facing him on the court.
Off The Court
Rodman was known for his off the court antics, just as much as his on court incidents. Rodman has gone through three divorces within a 15 year period and is known to have over $800,000 owed in child support. Legal troubles have hampered Dennis Rodman and his post-NBA life for years now and they haven’t seemed to end. Rodman had his troubles with alcoholism and gambling issues as well. He is known for trying to keep his name known around the world for his random visits to the lone communist country of North Korea, as their dictator Kim Jong-Un loves professional basketball.
Rodman, even with all of his off court antics, is still known as a great NBA player and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
He is deserving of the Hall of Fame nod, not just for his play, but for being a face in basketball that was virtually unknown at the time. His legacy, to me, is one that can never be tarnished or really out done.
