Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman had one of the most interesting NBA careers of all time. The Bulls player was known to be jealous of how much his teammate Michael Jordan and some other NBA players were making. Jordan had signed a $30 million contract in 1995. Rodman’s Bulls contract meant that he earned less than $4 million until 1996 when he received a hike. On his book release in 1996, Rodman did a publicity stint that saw him wear a wedding gown and marry himself.
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The stunt earned Rodman a Sunday Chicago Tribune headline which claimed that it had transcended even Michael Jordan’s popularity. Rodman revealed the story in his 2006 book, “I Should Be Dead By Now.”
Dennis Rodman’s insane publicity stunt for book release was in response to jealousy of Michael Jordan
Dennis Rodman might never have been as great a player as Michael Jordan, or as well-paid. However, he was just as popular and was involved in innumerable incidents that made him a global face.
One of them was marrying himself. On the eve of the release of his book, “As Bad as I Wanna Be,” Rodman wore a custom wedding dress. He also said that he was bisexual, and was marrying himself.
The publicity stunt obviously created a huge buzz in the media. They resulted in an interesting set of headlines, according to his 2006 book, “I Should Be Dead By Now.”
“The media went ape shit, and I would make the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times, “The Rebounder Wore Rouge”; and the Sunday Chicago Tribune , “Eccentric Bull Transcends Even Jordan’s Popularity.” I had been in Chicago less than a year, and I was topping Michael Jordan.”
Dennis Rodman played an important part in Chicago Bulls’ success
Rodman might have been jealous of the salaries the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan were making. The player had apparently talked about this with multiple people but nobody lent an ear.
Regardless, Rodman was an important part of the Chicago Bulls team that won 6 NBA titles. His defensive plays and rebounding allowed those around him to focus on their offensive game.
While Rodman always had issues with his discipline and problems off the court, the player gave it his all on-court. The Worm is one of the best defensive players the NBA ever saw, and had a career most players will be jealous of. He was able to eventually snag his own big-money contract with the Bulls and earned around $30 million in 1996.
