Dennis Rodman Reflects on His Journey: From Potential Tragedy to NBA Stardom

Dennis Rodman remains one of the most captivating figures in the NBA and all of sports.

A Hall of Famer and one of the NBA’s all-time greats, Rodman’s outsized personality and off-court life made him a massive celebrity in the 1990s and has kept him in the spotlight after basketball.

From reality TV appearances to his involvement in international affairs, Rodman’s post-NBA life has always kept people guessing.

Most recently, Rodman said he was going to go to Russia to help negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner. “I know Putin too well,” Rodman told NBC.

A hostage negotiator told Insider it would be “terrible” to let Rodman get involved.

Rodman was born in 1961 and grew up in the neighborhood of Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas.

Rodman described himself as “really shy” growing up, saying he’d hide behind his mother and sisters.

Rodman’s upbringing was marked by the absence of his father, Philander, who had a total of 28 children. His mother, seemingly more focused on his sisters who were local basketball stars, often overlooked Rodman. During his early years, Rodman displayed little athletic prowess and had minimal involvement in sports.

Rodman said he had “no direction” while growing up.

After high school, Rodman got a job at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport as a janitor, which he called “the beginning of the end for me.”

Rodman faced legal troubles when he was arrested for stealing watches from an airport store, leading to a night spent in the airport jail. However, the criminal charges were eventually dropped, as he did not sell the stolen watches.

Rodman bounced between jobs, lacking direction until his mother kicked him out of her house two years later.

Rodman experienced a period of homelessness, finding shelter in various places such as friends’ houses, backyards, parks, or behind a 7-11. During this challenging time, he admitted to doing very little during his days, mostly wandering around town. Rodman reached a point where he began to accept the grim possibility that this lifestyle might persist for the rest of his life.

While at Southeastern Oklahoma, Rodman dominated on the court, winning NAIA All-American three times. Rodman was still relatively new to the concepts of basketball but went all-out on the court. He averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds per game for his college career.

Rodman was 26 when he entered the NBA, far older than most rookies. Former Pistons president Tom Wilson called Rodman “extraordinarily, painfully shy” and hard to get comfortable around.
dennis rodman plane

Rodman’s dedication to rebounding was historic.

Rodman would study how players shot the ball, counting the rotations of the ball in the air and where their misses would go. He would watch film of all misses to see which direction the ball went off the rim. He also held late-night rebounding sessions with friends where he would track where the ball went.

Rodman became a key cog on the “Bad Boy” Pistons, known for their rough, physical style of play. The Pistons made three straight Finals appearance from 1988-1990, winning the championship in 1989 and 1990.

Rodman let his “freak flag fly,” according to Michael Silver, who profiled Rodman for Sports Illustrated in 1995.

Rodman eventually fell out of favor with the Spurs and was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

It was revealed in “The Last Dance” that midway during the 1997-98 season, Rodman asked for a vacation and went to Las Vegas for 48 hours. He stayed away from the team for several days until Jordan literally went to his apartment and brought him to practice.

Rodman also flew to the Donald Trump-Kim summit in Singapore in 2018.

He did not take part in the summit and appeared to be there to promote a cannabis cryptocurrency. He told Business Insider in 2019 that he frequently receives invites to North Korea, but is not allowed to go.

“It’s up to Donald Trump,” Rodman said. “So if he opens the doors — I get calls all the time. They want me to come back every month, but I can’t go because Donald won’t let me go.”

Rodman has said he thinks he would be a drug dealer, in jail, or dead if not for basketball.