“Dennis Rodman survived his suicidal thoughts because of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam”: When the Bulls and Pistons legend stayed true to himself and lived on

Dennis Rodman was one of the first NBA players to live his life to the fullest in public view. He was unapologetic about it, and that was his charm.

Rodman did what many NBA players aspired to be able to do both on and off the court. He won rebounding title after rebounding title in an era of great centers. He won 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Rodman secured 5 NBA titles for his teams with his dogged defensive attitude and rebounding skills. He did the everyman role and applied himself in areas that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Rodman was the ultimate ‘winning plays’ guy.

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But Rodman always had an inner struggle with his wild side that was apparent from his Detroit days. The forward once found himself contemplating suicide while in the parking of the Auburn Palace.

Dennis Rodman describes how listening to Pearl Jam saved his life

In the incident described, Rodman says he felt as low as ever on that eventful April 1993 night. He describes how he took a deep look at himself while listening to Pearl Jam songs from his car stereo:

“I sat in that pickup and had a duel with myself. I didn’t need the gun; it all took place in my mind. I walked one way and I walked the other way. At ten paces I turned and shot the impostor. I killed the Dennis Rodman that had tried to conform to what everybody wanted him to be.”

At @BR_NBA, a conversation with Dennis Rodman about a lot of stuff including his childhood, mental health in the NBA, how Pearl Jam saved his life, his relationship with Jordan and Pippen, and, yes, the North Korea thing: https://t.co/w18JZT6eZq

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 9, 2019

“What I did that night in The Palace parking lot–the choice I made and the way I made it–allowed me to break out and become the person I am today.”

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“I made the decision that night: Follow your own brain. Because of that night, the Dennis Rodman you see now is a prototype, THE ONE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEEING ALL ALONG.”