Dennis Rodman goes down as one of the best rebounders and defenders of all time, and he found some unique motivation from his sisters.
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Rodman was brought over on Jordan’s request. He used to be a member of the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs before he joined the Bulls, and he gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in the league.
In fact, Rodman was part of the ‘Bad Boy Pistons’ teams that Jordan used to match up against. The Pistons and Bulls had formed quite the rivalry back then.
The Pistons were notorious for playing a rough style of basketball and invented the ‘Jordan rules’ to slow down the Bulls legend. This would involve fouling him hard, holding him, bumping him, and a lot more to make him physically uncomfortable. Rodman was a major part of that.
However, when the time came, Rodman proved his worth to the Bulls and won three rings with them.
Dennis Rodman took inspiration from his sisters always beating him in basketball
Before Rodman turned into the beast he was, he had some truly dark days. He didn’t know if he wanted to pursue basketball for sure, and until the Pistons drafted him, he didn’t find his place in basketball.
He admitted to being lazy as well. “If you could only have been with me four years ago, you would have seen the kind of person I was,” Rodman explained after the Pistons drafted him. “I was kind of lazy. I figured I’d just work or do something.”
His sisters really inspired him, however. Debra Rodman was a star for Louisiana Tech and ended up playing professionally for the Dallas Diamonds. Kim Rodman played basketball for Stephen F. Austin. Growing up, his sisters used to always play basketball with him, and they’d routinely beat him.
“I couldn’t beat them,” Rodman explained. “They’d take me and a friend of mine out and beat us all the time. I finally decided one day if they could do it, I could do it.” That sparked his incredible career.
Rodman’s rebounding and aggressive defense made him a vital member of the Bulls squads. From 1995 to 1998, Rodman averaged 15.4 rebounds per game, leading the league in the stat every year. He formed the Bulls big three with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, helping them three-peat again.
