Paul Pierce believes that Dennis Rodman was just as popular as Michael Jordan during their Bulls days and would be popular in today’s game as well.
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Dennis Rodman was an All-NBA talent in 1992 and 1995. It was clear that the services he provided on the defensive end of the floor and off the glass were something Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls desperately needed, especially after losing to Shaq and the Magic in the ‘95 ECSF.
After a meeting between the Bulls stars, Rodman, and Phil Jackson, it was clear that ‘The Worm’ was coming on board. When asked if he could handle Dennis, Phil said he could.
This was perhaps the biggest thing with bringing Dennis Rodman on board as his eccentricity could very well negatively impact a team. This nearly happened in the 1998 season, as detailed by the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, where Rodman needed a couple days off from being on the team.
Everything from his wild parties in Vegas to him showing up in public in a bridal dress ready to ‘marry himself’, Rodman had a flair for the dramatic. If he were in his prime playing days in this social media age, he would most definitely be the most talked about North American sports athlete.
Paul Pierce on Dennis Rodman in comparison to Michael Jordan.
With ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries coming out in the summer of 2020, all the hype surround Michael Jordan and his escapades with the Chicago Bulls had NBA media in a stir. Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins took to ‘The Jump’ to discuss how Dennis Rodman would fare in today’s game.
While Kendrick believes Rodman would thrive on and off the court in this new social media age, Pierce says that Rodman was already just as popular as Jordan during his playing days in the 90s, if not more.
This may be true in North America but it certainly would not be true for anywhere else in the world. The Barcelona Olympics put Michael Jordan on the worldwide map for good and his popularity skyrocketed to the point where people in Paris fought themselves to get a glimpse of the eventual 6x champ in ‘97.
Rodman and Jordan were players who many would look at as polar opposites. MJ lived in the gym while ‘The Worm’ needed to time off to go to Vegas. However, one thing they both had in common was their desire to win. And they did that to perfection.
