“I’m Going to Knock the Hell Out of Dennis Rodman”: When Michael Jordan Taunted the Pistons’ supposed ‘best defender’

Michael Jordan gave Dennis Rodman a taste of his own medicine during the Bulls-Pistons battles, taunting him and playing physical 

Michael Jordan is among a short and illustrious list of players who can talk trash to others at an extremely high level. The first 6 years of his career were marred with Playoff disappointments, with the last 3 from 1988-90 being against the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons. 

During the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, one of the main storylines that was focused upon when talking about the Bulls’ ascension into superstardom was their rivalry against the Detroit Pistons. En route to beating the Blazers and Lakers in the 1989 and ‘90 Finals, the Pistons roughed up Jordan and company with an egregious amount of physicality. 

Guys like Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars, and of course, Dennis Rodman, were at the helm of it all. Their defensive prowess was known throughout the league as being overly aggressive. So, Michael took this ‘reputation’ of theirs, and toyed with it.

Also read: “Michael Jordan Scored More Than Half of his Team’s Points in His Last Game as a Bull”: MJ’s 45 points in 1998 NBA Finals Saved Him From His First-ever Game 7

Michael Jordan would continually taunt Dennis Rodman and be just as physical with him in 1991 

Dennis Rodman was known to be one of the most aggressive defenders in the league while on the Detroit Pistons. It would be here that he made the All-Star team for the first time. So, when it came to defending Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, he went all out. 

During an interview with Playboy in 1992, ‘his Airness’ revealed that he gave Rodman a taste of his own medicine during that 1991 Eastern Conference Finals series. “To Rodman I said, ‘Rodman, best defensive player? Jump you’re a** over here if you think you’re the best defensive player in the NBA’” 

Jordan would go on to talk about how that infuriated ‘The Worm’, leading to him kneeing Jordan off screens out of frustration. “I’m going to knock the hell out of Rodman,” though Michael. They would then put him in PnR actions where they returned the favor to him by kneeing and elbowing him. 

Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman would eventually become teammates 

Funnily enough, Dennis Rodman was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 1995. What made it even more interesting was the fact that Jordan and Pippen were the ones who greenlit the decision. 

While Rodman did have to have a heart-to-heart with the two and apologize to them, they would soon bury the hatchet. Of course, as we all know, this led to 3 straight championships for Chicago.

Also read: Michael Jordan, Who Refused to Back Black Political Candidates, Appreciated ‘Bishop of Brixton’ Jimmy Rogers’ Communal Work