“Michael Jordan Makes More Than $35 million”: Dennis Rodman, Jealous of Shaquille O’Neal and MJ’s Salary, Complained About the League

Nithin Joseph | 26/04/2023
"Michael Jordan Makes More Than $35 million": Dennis Rodman, Jealous of Shaquille O'Neal and MJ's Salary, Complained About the League

Money is an important part of being an NBA superstar. Most of the players who come into the league come from poor backgrounds. But, not all of them can make the big bucks. It takes skill to get the big contracts and one player who had that was Dennis Rodman.

However, despite being considered one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, The Worm didn’t earn much as a player. Over the course of his 12-year career, he earned $27 million, certainly not a measly amount. But, when compares to some of the other big dogs in the league, $2.25 million is nothing.

Rodman was very talented and grabbed the attention of the fans as well. But, back in the day, his antics and eccentric personality made him more of a nuisance to the league. So, when he saw the likes of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal make $35 million and $25 million, he was less than pleased. Even deciding to blame the league.

Dennis Rodman blamed the NBA for his jealousy of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal’s salaries

Dennis Rodman had quite the NBA career. The man spent 12 seasons in the league and developed a reputation as one of the best defenders around. In that time, he won four NBA Championships, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and a host of other accolades.

But, in spite of his Hall of Fame-worthy resume, The Worm never really got paid much for his services. When looking at some of the big contracts at the time, Rodman’s nearly $2.25 million a year paled in comparison to the salaries of fellow Hall of Famers, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

As he explained in his book “Bad As I Wanna Be“, Rodman took issue with the fact that like Jordan and O’Neal, he too worked for the league and for the team. But, never ever got paid at the same level.

“Michael makes more than $35 million a year, Shaq more than $25 million. I weigh in at $3 million total. I’m not even in the same universe with those guys when it comes to pay. The system doesn’t work for me; I work for the system. The league gets what it wants, and the team I’m playing for gets what it wants. Then there’s me, Out in the f**king cold, when I try to speak up, rationally, and explain how wrong it is, it’s always the same: Wait your turn.”

When you put things in that perspective, it’s no wonder Rodman leveraged his eccentric personality. But, that didn’t amount to much, and he now has a net worth of just $500,000.

The Worm was robbed of $27 million by his ex-financial advisor

As of today, Dennis Rodman’s net worth stands at just $500,000. A far cry from the $27 million he made just from playing in the NBA. So, how did he lose all his money? Well, The Worm trusted the wrong person to be his financial advisor. Peggy Ann Fulford robbed him of millions, buying several expensive items by writing checks off his account.

It was a tragedy for Rodman. Following a lengthy court case, he was only awarded $1,243,579. And, with the legal fees and other expenses considered, he never truly recovered.

Post Edited By: Adit Pujari
Dennis Rodman Michael Jordan Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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