Dennis Rodman was a big part of the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty in the 90s, not because he could score a lot, but because he was defensively one of the best out there.
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Rodman joined the Bulls in 1995, the season when Michael Jordan came back from his first retirement, and helped Chicago win another three championships alongside MJ and Scottie Pippen.
Fans can sometimes underrate Rodman’s importance to the team because he wasn’t the flashiest of players, dominating by collecting rebounds, defending well, and hustling like crazy. However, Rodman shouldn’t be underrated.
Without him the Bulls wouldn’t have won those championships, and he was every bit as dominant (in his own way) as Michael Jordan and Pippen were. This was something Richard Jefferson wanted to make sure fans knew on Twitter.
“I think the second or third year in the league I actually figured out what I could best… rebound & play defense.” – Dennis Rodman
The Last Dance on ESPN pic.twitter.com/k4Xuu6UDfB
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2020
Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, And Scottie Pippen Formed A Big Three According To Richard Jefferson
Richard Jefferson found himself on Twitter defending his stance that the 1995-1998 Bulls also held the ‘superteam” distinction that teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets hold right now.
He joined at 34 and left at 36 so nice try. His 3 years there he averaged 15, 16, 15 rbs per game while being maybe being the best defensive PF in the game. He was A SUPERSTAR in his role just like Gobert is. Oh should we talk about Kukoc? Go check out his numbers.. 🤣
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) August 4, 2021
Jefferson does have a point here. At the height of his powers, Rodman was the best rebounder in the league, and it wasn’t even a question. Just check out his stats here:
Year-by-Year rebound leaders in the 90s
Dennis Rodman 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ildq2NQbOq
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) April 27, 2020
With stats like those, you can genuinely make a case that Rodman was the ‘third superstar’ on the Chicago Bulls, making them what we now call a superteam.
Jefferson also found himself comparing Steve Kerr to players like Joe Harris:
Very good role player 🤣😂.. that statement got me. Oh and when you add Steve Kerr (the best percentage 3p%) is like having Joe Harris with KD, Kyrie and Harden…. but ok! You got this
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) August 4, 2021
Many NBA fans on Twitter agreed with Jefferson’s assessment of Rodman’s value:
He was the best rebounder and defense player in the league just because you don’t value those stats over scoring doesn’t change the fact that he was a superstar
— CarryGoCrazy⚡️✴️ (@ICarryHD) August 4, 2021
