“Allen Iverson really fought Dennis Rodman his rookie season”: When the Sixers legend didn’t back down against ‘The Worm’ in a heated game against the Bulls

Allen Iverson went right at Dennis Rodman in a game against the Chicago Bulls in his rookie season for the Philadelphia 76ers. 

While the 1996 NBA Draft was absolutely jam-packed with All-NBA talent, picking Allen Iverson to go first overall was a no-brainer for most. The multi-sport athlete spent two seasons at Georgetown and averaged 25 points along with 3.4 steals a game in his sophomore season under legendary Georgetown HC, John Thompson. 

Dennis Rodman on the other hand, did not enjoy the luxury of being considered a star player the second he stepped foot on NBA hardwood. While he did put up solid stats at Southeastern Oklahoma State, this wasn’t a reputed basketball recruiting college in the slightest and hence, Rodman was picked in the late 20s of the first round.

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However, come 1996, Dennis Rodman was the far more accomplished player when compared to Allen Iverson. Frankly speaking, comparing a player like Rodman to AI is asinine given their differing styles of play and position. 

However, it is done to show the sheer difference with which the NBA can have superstars thrive within it. 

Dennis Rodman and Allen Iverson get into a scuffle with one another. 

The second time they would meet in the NBA would be a game on December 21st, 1996 which saw the Chicago Bulls best the Philadelphia 76ers 111 to 105. En route to a victory, Dennis Rodman seemingly picked a fight with the rookie, Allen Iverson. Well, with the way things played out, it was AI who initiated the scuffle.

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In an attempt to grab a rebound, Rodman leaped over Iverson, a man who was more than half a foot shorter than him. This led to Iverson losing his cool and grabbing Rodman by the jersey before being separated by their respective teammates. 

Dennis Rodman had laid the seeds for an Allen Iverson outburst a couple plays before and kept his cool when getting attacked by Iverson. ‘The Worm’ was a master at this as he’d gotten under the skin of the likes of Karl Malone, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Bird, and several others. 

Iverson did lead the game in scoring with 32 points to Michael Jordan’s 31 points but his effort would unfortunately go in vain.