“$5,000,000 in the Bank”: Contrary to Michael Jordan’s Three-Peat Dreams, Dennis Rodman Revealed Plans in 1995

Dennis Rodman was known to be an eccentric figure during his time in the NBA. When he first joined Chicago Bulls from the San Antonio Spurs, Rodman planned to use his contract money in the most extravagant way possible. After receiving his $15,000,000 deal, The Worm confessed he would put $5,000,000 in the bank and use the rest of $10,000,000 to party his ‘a**’ off. Contrary to this, Rodman’s teammate Michael Jordan had different ambitions in 1995. After an eventual return from retirement, MJ’s ultra-competitive nature urged him to aim for a second three-peat. But despite his teammates having high ambitions, The Worm only wanted to live a lavish and pompous life off his on-court earnings, according to the 2014 book “Michael Jordan: The Life,” by Roland Lazenby.

When he joined the Bulls from the Spurs, Rodman proved to be an exceptional addition to the squad. Besides his excessive partying, Rodman’s impressive defensive and rebounding abilities helped the Bulls win crucial matches. Combined with the offensive prowess of Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Rodman was an essential element for the Bulls in winning their second three-peat.

Dennis Rodman had planned to use his Bulls contract money to party his a** off

Dennis Rodman had entirely different plans than the rest of his ambitious teammates. When he was holding his negotiation talks with the Bulls, he was looking for a $15,000,000 deal that would keep him in the franchise for around two to three years.

With the money he would earn, Rodman had planned to keep $5,000,000 in his bank and spend the rest of $10,000,000 partying. In this excerpt, Roland Lazenby summarizes Rodman’s plans in MJ’s biography, Michael Jordan: The Life.

“And like that, Dennis “The Worm” Rodman, the NBA’s thirty-four-year-old adolescent, became a Chicago Bull. He was looking for a two-or three-year deal in the neighborhood of $15 million. ‘I’ll put five million in the bank, live off the interest, and party my ass off,’ he told reporters, which, as time would reveal, is exactly what he did”

Rodman believed that the $5,000,000 would last him his lifetime from the interests from his bank. However, Rodman’s excessive partying habits seemed to be a curse for him. From his $27,031,176 career earnings, he spent a significant chunk of this money on partying. Currently, Rodman’s net worth is just a mere $500,000, compared to his teammate Michael Jordan’s $2 billion worth.

Michael Jordan once had to fetch Rodman from his escapades

Michael Jordan once revealed that he had to fetch Dennis Rodman from a Las Vegas hotel to the Chicago Bulls training center. In 1997, the Bulls ran for the last piece to complete their second three-peat. However, Rodman was MIA, having asked coach Phil Jackson for a mid-season vacation. As Jordan revealed, the vacation was wilder and crazier than a simple break.

When Rodman was still missing from the Bulls team, Phil Jackson gave Jordan 48 hours to fetch the Worm. As a result, Jordan had to bring Rodman out of his bed to Bulls training. MJ would instead not describe the sight he saw in Rodman’s bedroom.

But from his statements in the documentary The Last Dance, it surely seemed Rodman had a crazy mid-season break right before important games came up.