“$5,000 Worth”: Before Making Up With Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman Claimed Responsibility For Infamous Migraine

Long before Dennis Rodman joined forces with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, he was a superstar for the Detroit Pistons. In the 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls defeated the Pistons for the first time during Jordan’s era. Rodman was as usual, good value for money, and was all over Pippen. He even had a run-in with the Bulls’ star and ended up pushing him into the stands. This resulted in a $5000 fine, as well as possibly resulting in a migraine for Pippen, according to his book, “As Bad As I Wanna Be.”

This was one of the reasons why Pippen had an issue with Rodman joining the Bulls. So much so that when he did, prior to the 1995-96 season, Rodman was asked by Phil Jackson to apologize to Pippen.

Dennis Rodman was forced to apologize to Scottie Pippen during the 1991 Playoffs

Rodman was already a 2-time NBA winner with the Pistons. When the Bulls won the 1991 Championship, they took on the Pistons en route.

Led by Jordan and Pippen, the Bulls defeated the Pistons 4-0 in the Conference Finals. Still, Rodman made his mark, and had a run-in with his future teammate. Rodman wrote the following in his book, “As Bad As I Wanna Be.”

“I think that’s what happened to Scottie Pippen in the 1991 play-offs. I was all over him that series, and I got fined for it—$5,000 worth—when I pushed him into the stands. After that he got a migraine headache and sat out a game. I think he probably did have a migraine, but I think I might have had a hand in giving it to him.”

Rodman claimed that Pippen had to miss a game due to a migraine. He was sure that Pippen did have an issue and revealed that it was probably his fault, in part.

Rodman revealed that he had to apologize to Pippen after joining Chicago Bulls

Speaking on Vlad TV last month, Rodman said that he was indeed asked by Jackson to apologize to Pippen. However, he was happy that his teammate was gracious in his response.

Rodman said that all four of Pippen, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and him were sitting at Jerry Krause’s house. Jackson then asked him to go inside and break the ice with Pippen.

Rodman obliged and told Pippen that he was happy to play with his new teammates. Pippen claimed that “it was all good,” as the two serial winners went on to win another three championships.