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Dennis Rodman Once Ate Pizza with a Detroit Pistons Ballboy Instead of Partying 

Jeet Pukhrambam
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"I Wanted to Get Back at People": When Dennis Rodman's 12 y/o Best Friend Stopped the 6ft 8" Bulls Legend From Beating Up Racists

Dennis Rodman, the playboy, the party animal, his stories constitute women, alcohol, and debauchery. But before all that, he was just a kid.

Our initial statement might be a little misleading. We don’t mean he is a bad person. In fact, all of his stories are rather wholesome. He has turned a new chapter recently and we couldn’t be prouder.

We mean that he was a “bad boy”, a part of the Detroit Pistons team that thwarted Michael Jordan’s early ascension to NBA greatness.

More than that, he was also a real-life “bad boy” in the 1990s when he was sporting tattoos, hair color, and piercings long before everyone else.

And he was the mythic creature that the NBA feared. So much so that the commissioner at the time David Stern outlawed a lot of things.

He was also notorious for dating actresses and flying off to Las Vegas. But before all of it, when he was still a young player in the league, he once chose to stay at his hotel instead of attending a party.

Also read: Dennis Rodman Once Borrowed Money From His 13-Year-Old Friend’s Father For a $15,000 Car

Dennis Rodman and Peter Ginopolis once shared Pizza

When you first read it you might be surprised as to how a guy like Dennis Rodman chose to stay home. Stay in a hotel to be precise. Well, it was just his second year in the NBA.

No tattoos, piercings, or hair color. A good ol’ rebounder. So, when the team wanted to go out and celebrate but Dennis wanted an easy night. So, he decided to play fun games and eat pizza with Peter Ginopolis, a ball boy.

Ginopolis recalls, “But it was like I was dealing with someone who was 13 years old. It was so weird; here I am this young kid, and my best friend is this NBA player who loves doing what I do.”

We can already see his eccentricity here but this was well before he became the Bad Boy.

Also read: “I’m The Only Player in NBA History To Build An Image Without Nike or Adidas”: Dennis Rodman Once Boasted About the Sheer Uniqueness of his Eccentricity

The Detroit Pistons’ Rodman was a different person

In his heyday, he was troublesome. Not off the court, but on it. He was so good that later on his career, Michael Jordan himself wanted him on his team.

Rodman’s precocious abilities helped him flourish as a rebounder but his enigmatic mindset is what truly separated him. While he may not hold a multitude of records, a mix of his persona and playing with the greatest player of all time has really helped solidify his status as an NBA legend.

Also read: Dennis Rodman, Who Had Been Sober For 2 Years, Relapsed Because He Was Admittedly ‘Bored’

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam

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Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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