Michael Jordan’s highly anticipated return to basketball after his first retirement and MLB hiatus didn’t propel the Chicago Bulls back to championship level. They were clearly missing a piece that season back, and Jordan thought the unpredictable yet extremely gifted forward Dennis Rodman might fill that need. Rodman thrived during his tenure with the Bulls but laughed at the notion that Jordan approved of him joining the team.
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MJ returned to the Bulls near the end of the 1994-95 season. He only played in 17 games, but that was enough to get him in relative game shape for the NBA Playoffs. Chicago made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they went against a young Shaquille O’Neal-led Orlando Magic team. The series ended in six games, favoring the Magic.
Chicago needed to make a change. One massive move was on the table, but it was risky. Rodman had just completed two seasons as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. He clashed with then-coach and now recently appointed general manager Gregg Popovich, who looked to wipe the slate clean.
The Bulls eventually completed a deal to acquire Rodman in exchange for Will Purdue, but Chicago’s front office wouldn’t make the deal unless Jordan approved. Rodman spoke about the trade experience in an interview with Business Insider in 2019, specifically highlighting Jordan’s involvement in the deal.
“[Laughs] That’s kind of funny — [Michael Jordan] approved of me. Yeah, he pretty much did approve of me to be there,” Rodman said.
Jordan didn’t let Rodman’s personality and off-court antics cloud his interpretation of him as a player. Nobody in the league could rebound like Rodman, who led the league in in that stat for seven consecutive seasons. Unlike his situation in San Antonio, Rodman understood his value in Chicago.
“I figured that he was missing one element to win a championship with the Bulls,” Rodman proclaimed. Chicago had enough offensive firepower to compete with the NBA’s best. Their weakness was their lack of toughness and grit. Rodman checked those boxes.
“I think that he had the confidence in me to keep me on the team and say, great, you’re here, man. Let’s go win this thing. And that’s all he had to say to me,” Rodman said.
At first glance, it seemed the pairing wouldn’t work. Rodman was a loose cannon, and Jordan thrived in calculation and regimen. Another variable was Rodman’s presence on the Detroit Pistons during the teams’ earlier rivalries from 1986-1993. Despite these factors, they put everything aside and focused on the game. And the rest is history.
Rodman had to apologize to Scottie Pippen before joining the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls didn’t roll out the red carpet for Rodman. Throughout previous years, plenty of animosity had grown between the two-time All-Star and a handful of Bulls players, the most notable being Scottie Pippen.
In a regular-season game between the Bulls and the Pistons in 1988, Rodman kicked Pippen in the face as Scottie closed in on the basket. It briefly knocked Pippen out and is thought to be what led to the chronic migraines he suffered from for the remainder of his career.
In the 1991 NBA Playoffs, the Bulls and Pistons went toe-to-toe in the Eastern Conference Finals. The physicality was at an all-time high, and Pippen was again on the receiving end. At one point, Rodman shoved the seven-time All-Star into the photographers. Pippen ended up with a sharp cut on his chin that required six stitches.
In an interview with DJ Vlad in 2023, Rodman revealed that Bulls head coach Phil Jackson made him apologize to Pippen before reporting for team duties.
“We were at Jerry Cross’ house,” Rodman said. “I was outside talking to Phil, and he said, ‘Dennis, can you go in there [and talk to Scottie]?’ I said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I went in and I said, ‘Man, there’s no harsh feelings. You know, man I’m just happy to be here, and I hope you accept my hard work’ … He said, ‘It’s all good, man.'”
Pippen accepted Rodman’s apology, and the team flourished from that point on. Rodman helped Chicago bring home three more championships to solidify the Bulls as one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
