In the annals of rebounding history, Dennis Rodman is a definite entry. The Bulls legend and 5-time NBA Champion definitely knew how to leave a mark both on and off the court. With multiple interviews and books to his name, Dennis never shied away from airing his opinions about his teammates and other players in the league.
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The early 2000s was a time of radical change for the NBA. The Bulls at the time were a franchise looking to rebuild and part ways with their key role players, such as Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. And in the summer of ’98, an unexpected signing would take place, which resulted in Dennis Rodman dawning the purple and gold for just 23 games of the 1998-99 season.
Though Rodman’s skills were never in question, his commitment to the game and his locker-room chemistry was always a concern. And a concern it was, as the ’98 season saw Rodman bumping heads with many teammates publically.
Dennis Rodman shares his opinion on Shaq in his autobiography
In his first autobiography ‘Bad as I wanna be,’ Rodman shared his opinion on his future teammate Shaquille O’Neal. The ‘Menace’ while stating his opinion on ‘The Diesel,’ told his writer,
“I don’t feel anything when I watch Shaquille O’Neal play. He plays hard, and he cares about the game, but I don’t feel anything coming off him. He’s one of those guys who were created before he arrived. He’s been created as this “Basketball Animal.” He plays with abandon, and he plays to win. But how much do you really want to win when you have as much money, attention, and fame as he does? it’s got to be hard to keep it all straight, especially at his age”.
O’Neal didn’t take these comments lying down, as when asked about his worst teammate, the Big Aristotle shot back at Rodman, telling the media,
“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman. He (Dennis) was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you letting this one guy do whatever he wants”.
The Shaq-Rodman feud reignited during the NBA-75 anniversary event
The 75th-year anniversary event was a great chance for fans and players to revisit the beautiful moments the league has offered us, over its 75-year history. The show went rather smoothly but Dennis still managed to make headlines with his antics again.
O’Neal reignited the feud between the two legends by calling Rodman’s behavior during the entire event, as ‘selfish’ and ‘ unprofessional’ during an episode on his podcast ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’.
With no clear ending to the feud in sight, it would be interesting to see what these two Hall of Famers would divulge other behind-the-scenes information in their very public tussle. However, regardless of their comments, both players have revealed mutual respect for each other as basketball players.
