Dennis Rodman's Arrival

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Lore & Background

Rodman was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as the third pick in the second round (27th overall) of the 1986 NBA draft. In his rookie season (1986–87), he averaged 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and some tough defense in 15.0 minutes of playing time per game. In the 1987–88 season, he averaged 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, starting in 32 of 82 regular season games. The source does not specify his statistics for the 1988–89 season or whether he won a championship that year.

In Their Own Story

In the 1987–88 season, Rodman steadily improved to average 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, starting in 32 of 82 games. The Pistons reached the NBA Finals but lost a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game Six, with Detroit down by one point and eight seconds remaining, Dumars missed a shot and Rodman fell just short of an offensive rebound that could have won the title. In Game Seven, L.A. led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Rodman's defense helped cut the lead to six with 3:52 left and to two with one minute remaining. However, he fouled Magic Johnson, who hit a free throw, and Rodman missed an ill-advised shot with 39 seconds left, ending their championship hopes.

Reader's Guide

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, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Did You Know?

• Rodman was nicknamed 'the Worm' by his mother for how he wiggled while playing pinball.
• He contemplated suicide in 1993 before reinventing himself as a 'bad boy'.
• Rodman famously wore a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad as I Wanna Be.
• He was the first-ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament.
• Rodman won the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole.