“Dennis Rodman Was One of My Heroes!”: Dirk Nowitzki Recalled ‘Wild’ Experience of ‘The Worm’ Being on the Mavericks

Dennis Rodman has been notorious in the NBA for his eccentric personality. He introduced a lot of quirky trends in the NBA that were unheard of in the 80s and the 90s, alongside being an elite rebounder and a top-notch defender. The then brand new owner of the Mavs Mark Cuban brought Dennis Rodman to Dallas in 2000, wishing to utilize the Worm’s Championship experience to help a young squad. However, things didn’t quite turn out like Cuban expected.

When Rodman joined the Mavericks at the turn of the century, then-budding star Dirk Nowitzki was in awe and excited at the prospect of teaming up with the Chicago Bulls legend. During his appearance on ShowTime Basketball‘s All The Smoke Podcast, the German phenom revealed his feelings on what it was like playing with ‘The Worm’ and the build-up around it.

Like many hoopers, Nowitzki entered the league admiring the Chicago Bulls, who dominated the NBA in the 90s. Therefore, it was not surprising when the 2011 NBA Finals MVP stated, “I was a big Chicago Bulls fan in the 90s.” Taking about Rodman, Nowitzki added, “He was one of my heroes.”

However, after playing with Rodman, Nowitzki learned that the Bulls legend didn’t care about conventions. He revealed during the podcast that Rodman would regularly skip pre-game team meetings, which was a common theme during his Bulls days too. In other words, the five-time NBA Champ followed his own routine.

Talking about this strange routine, Nowitzki said, “40 minutes before the game, he [Rodman] was showering. And then after the game, he’d just put his gear on and would go lift hard for an hour and a half, two hours, wouldn’t be with the team.”

The 2011 NBA Champion also recalled how he was always swarmed by the media by the end of his routines. He found these developments hilarious because these antics were completely new to him. On the flip side, the Mavs weren’t really having that much fun on the court after Rodman’s arrival. Nowitzki admitted that Rodman’s presence in the locker room wasn’t favorable for quality basketball despite being a unique spectacle off the court.

Dennis Rodman had a troubling solitary season with the Mavs

While Rodman provided his usual high-impact rebounding, averaging 14.3 a game in 12 games, the Mavs played worse with him. Before he came to the scene, the team had won 10 out of their 13 games. But after Rodman joined the squad, they lost 9 out of their 13 games.

Dennis the Menace picked up six technicals, was ejected twice, and also had a one-game suspension. All of this disrupted the Mavs’ rhythm and instead of gaining some steam, the team lost the plot.  Cuban wanted maturity and leadership from a veteran like Rodman, however he got exactly the opposite.

After winning five titles, leading the league in rebounding for seven seasons in a row, and winning a Defensive Player of the year, it wasn’t like he had anything left to prove. Therefore, Rodman exercised his carefree ways more than ever which didn’t sit well with the Mavs management. His stint with the Mavs would last only a few months before Cuban would decide to part ways with the Bulls legend.