Dennis Rodman is an eccentric man. There is absolutely no denying that. However, eccentricity doesn’t mean Rodman doesn’t feel lonely or feel like he needs a friend. The 6ft 8″ star, who grew up shy and craving for affection, married a soft spot in his heart even as he became a big athlete.
Advertisement
In Detroit, he had found that by being a part of the bad boys, he could feel at home. However, things changed when he moved to the Bulls. Chicago, which had become incredibly successful in the years leading up to Rodman’s trade, wasn’t exactly the warmest team despite the Zen Master’s attempts.
As per Rodma’s teammate and the highly acclaimed Warriors coach, Rodman struggled to settle down in Chicago at first. However, the legendary rebounder soon gelled with his teammates due to mutual interests.
Steve Kerr confessed Dennis Rodman felt more comfortable around White Players
In MJ’s biography Michael Jordan: The Life, Steve Kerr shared a fascinating story about Dennis Rodman. The Warriors coach revealed that The Worm was more comfortable around Bulls’ white players.
As per Kerr, Rodman connected with the white players through their mutual love for Pearl Jam. He would accompany them to concerts and enjoy some quality time with his colleagues. However, he did not feel as comfortable around the ‘black’ players.
Roland in Michael’s biography wrote:
“Dennis was different,” Kerr remembered with a laugh. “Dennis wanted to be close to us, he just didn’t always know how. He was just so shy. What ending up happening… the white guys ended up bonding with Dennis because of his love of Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins. We’d go to concerts with him… and in the end, Dennis felt a lot more comfortable around the white guys than he did around the black guys. We definitely felt comfortable around him and would go out with him, once in a while, have a big night out, have a ton of fun. That was our way of bonding with him.”
Rodman lived with a ‘white family’ in college
Perhaps Dennis Rodman communicated with the white players easily because he had spent 3 years living with a white family in Durant. It is Durant that Dennis found his first true family. The Richs took him in and treated him like their own son.
It is likely that his time with the Rich family helped Dennis feel more comfortable with Steve Kerr and others. However, this did not impact his performance or chemistry with the entire team. His talents always outshined his limits.
