Dennis Rodman

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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

In the late 1980s, Rodman made headlines for controversial comments regarding Larry Bird, stating, "Larry Bird is overrated in a lot of areas....Why does he get so much publicity? Because he's white. You never hear about a black player being the greatest." Despite the backlash, teammate Isiah Thomas supported him. Off the court, Rodman faced personal turmoil, including an unhappy childhood and a period where he was shy and introverted. In 1993, after contemplating suicide, he reinvented himself as a "bad boy," dyeing his hair in artificial colors, adding piercings and tattoos, and famously wearing a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography, *Bad As I Wanna Be*. These antics defined his public persona even as he dominated the paint.

Reader's Guide

In addition to being a former professional basketball player, Rodman has appeared in professional wrestling. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan in the main event of two Bash at the Beach pay-per-views. He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour, and had starring roles in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). He appeared in several reality TV series and was the winner of the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole.

Did You Know?

• Rodman 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.