Dennis Rodman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rodman experienced an unhappy childhood and was often described as shy and introverted in his early years. After contemplating suicide in 1993, he reinvented himself as a 'bad boy' and became notorious for numerous controversial antics. He repeatedly dyed his hair in artificial colors, had many piercings and tattoos, and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad as I Wanna Be. Rodman also attracted international attention for his visits to North Korea and his subsequent befriending of the North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un in 2013.

In Their Own Story

After three seasons with Phoenix, where he earned his only All-NBA First Team selection but clashed with coach John MacLeod, Johnson was traded to the Boston Celtics. The move addressed a specific need: Red Auerbach wanted a defender to stop Philadelphia's Andrew Toney after Boston had been swept by Milwaukee and lost repeatedly to the 76ers. Joining a frontcourt of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, Johnson changed his role for the third time, evolving into a point guard defined by playmaking rather than scoring. In his first year with Boston (1983–84), he averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 assists while earning All-Defensive Second Team honors. The Celtics won the 1984 NBA Finals against their intense rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, where Johnson took credit for playing smothering defense on Hall of Fame guards. He continued to win two more championships with the team. Throughout his career, Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams and nine consecutive All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Despite his defensive prowess, he retired with a 17.2% three-point shooting percentage, the lowest for any player with at least 200 attempts. The Celtics retired his No. 3 jersey, which hangs in the TD Garden rafters.

Reader's Guide

Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Shirley and Philander Rodman, Jr. After his father left, Shirley took many odd jobs to support the family. Rodman and his two sisters, Debra and Kim, grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Rodman's mother gave him the nickname 'The Worm' for how he wiggles while playing pinball. While attending South Oak Cliff High School, Rodman was not considered an athletic standout. After high school, he worked as an overnight janitor at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, then experienced a sudden growth spurt and decided to try basketball again. He played one semester at Cooke County College, averaging 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds, before flunking out. He transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American and led the NAIA in rebounding twice. In three seasons there, he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds. In 1986 he led his team to the NAIA semifinals where he scored 46 points and grabbed 32 rebounds. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as the third pick in the second round (27th overall) of the 1986 NBA draft. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman's No. 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. In October 2021, Rodman was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Did You Know?

• Rodman has appeared in professional wrestling and was a member of the nWo.
• He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour.
• He starred in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999).
• He was the winner of the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole.