Dennis Rodman

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 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.

Career

Pre-NBA and amateur career

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.

Detroit Pistons

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 two straight. 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 http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1991&b=19920304&tm=det. Rodman's second best rebounding performance was in 1993, in his last season with the Pistons.

A fateful night

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.

San Antonio Spurs

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. The last straw was when he failed to arrive with the rest of the team for the critical fifth game of the conference finals.

Chicago Bulls

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 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 , Horace Grant and helped contain the , O'Neal, key to the Bulls' eventual sweep of the defending Eastern Conference champs.

Post-Bulls career

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 is currently playing for the Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League.

Career awards/accomplishments

NBA Champion (1989, 1990, 1996–98)
All-NBA Third Team (1992, 1995)
NBA All-Star Team (1990, 1992)
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (1990, 1991)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1989–93, 1995, 1996)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1994)
NBA Top Rebounds-per-game average (1992–98)
NBA Top Total Rebounds (1992–94, 1998)
NBA Top Offensive Rebounds (1991–94, 1996, 1997)
NBA Top Defensive Rebounds (1992, 1994, 1998)
NBA Top Field Goal Percentage (1989)

Other work

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.

Professional wrestling

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. His third and final match was on August 14, 1999, at Road Wild when he lost to Randy Savage. He raised the ire of wrestling management as he frequently "no showed" several dates in which he was intended to promote pay-per-view bouts. Also, in his second bout, he appeared to be intoxicated. He later appeared in TNA, generating boos from the crowd for being in the event and doing nothing.

Acting career

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.

Rodman World Tour

In 1996 Dennis Rodman had his own MTV reality talk show called The Rodman World Tour which featured Rodman in a series of odd-ball situations.

Recent actions

Rodman was present at or participated in at least two different contests in Finland in 2005. In the summer, he was present at Sonkajärvi in a wife-carrying contest, but he resigned from the contest due to health problems. On November 6, 2005, he played one match with the Torpan Pojat, playing against the Tapiolan Honka. He played 28 minutes, scored 17 points, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Fifteen of his 17 points were made behind the 3-point line, with a total of 13 attempts from beyond the arc. Rodman's presence drew a Finnish National League record crowd of 7,420 people to Helsinki Ice Hockey Dome.

Rodman released another autobiography entitled I Should Be Dead By Now, written with Jack Isenhour in 2005.

Rodman was named Commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005.

In January 2006, Rodman appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. He entered the house at approximately 22:00 on January 5. He took into the house with him a pack of "extra large" condoms and did not pack any underwear. During one of the tasks in the house where the housemates had to rank themselves and the others in order of fame, Rodman was put second to the British former comedian and comic quiz show host Michael Barrymore. He disagreed with this, saying that he should have been ranked highest. He struck up an unlikely romantic liaison with Faria Alam, but it was short-lived and ended after Alam was voted out. Rodman was the fifth housemate evicted.

On January 26, 2006, it was announced that Rodman had signed a one-game "experiment" deal for the UK basketball team Brighton Bears to play Guildford Heat on 28 January. If successful, the Bears have an option on further matches.^*

Rodman also appeared on the new reality TV series Pros VS Joes on Spike TV.

Rodman was the first man, and the first sports star to pose (naked) for PETA's advertisement campaign "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur".

Rodman, along with NBA legends Darryl Dawkins, Kevin Willis, Calvin Murphy, Otis Birdsong and Alex English are slated to play two exhibition games in the Philippines. On April 27, they defeated a team of former Philippine Basketball Association stars in Mandaue City. Rodman delighted the crowd with his antics, scoring 5 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. ^*. However, on May 1, Rodman's team lost to the Philippine national basketball team 110-102 at the Araneta Coliseum.

In Mandaue City, Cebu, locals were shocked at Rodman's snub of them and the media during his group's visit at the Mandaue City Hall where they met with mayor Teddy Ouano ^*. There were even children who never got the opportunity to present their prepared song in greeting him. West End Sports Tours president Mario Whitmire claimed that Rodman lacked sleep and has yet to adjust to the hot tropical weather.

Most shocking of all was an incident that happened during the visit when Rodman ate budbod (Philippine rice cake) that was served to them. He ate the delicacy without even peeling off the banana leaves wrapped around it. Immediately after the incident, Rodman isolated himself from the embarrassment.^*

Trivia

His nicknames include "Dennis the Menace", "Rodzilla" and "Worm", given to him by his mother for wriggling around while playing pinball.

It's believed by some that part of the key to Rodman's success was his scientific approach to calculate how the ball would ricochet off the basket to be in prime position to grab it. He would also use his athletic ability and unparalled conditioning to tip the ball countless times if he was challenged.

References

External links

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