NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman broke into tears when accused of being selfish by a reporter after the chaos he caused at the Planet Hollywood restaurant in LA.
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Dennis Rodman was not your regular NBA superstar, known for his eerie personality and eccentric behavior. The veteran forward didn’t mix well with others and wasn’t a fan of authority. Despite all his off-court antics, he was always in demand, courtesy of the rare skill-set he brought to the table.
Whether it be his much-publicized affair with Madonna or his notorious trips to Las Vegas casinos, The Worm was always in the headlines.
Post his dynastic run with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Rodman’s graph as a player declined, mostly finding himself around controversies. In 1999, the LA Lakers acquired The Worm on the behest of the late Jerry Buss, who was elated to have the defensive savant on board.
“Dennis is Dennis. We’re not about to tell Dennis how to be someone else. We’d take him the way he is.”
Via: LA Times
Thus the Lakers had made their bed and would have to lie in it. Nevertheless, Rodman hadn’t officially signed with the purple and gold, leading to many speculations. Finally, a week after the announcement, the two-time DPOY scheduled a press conference at the Planet Hollywood restaurant in LA.
Also read: Dennis Rodman, who almost shot himself, once helped a 13-year old escape the trauma of gun violence
While many believed this was his Lakers welcoming announcement, this was far from the truth. What followed was chaos, ending with Rodman sobbing at being called ‘selfish.’
Dennis Rodman breaks down on being called selfish by a reporter.
Touted to be his official announcement of joining the purple and gold, reporters would flock to the Planet Hollywood restaurant in LA. Neither did they know they were in for mayhem. Rodman arrived 40-minutes late at the conference, with no agenda or plan for the meeting.
In his book about the Lakers dynasty, Jeff Pearlman narrated how the five-time champion wasted everyone’s time.
“He (Dennis Rodman) rambled. Like a bored man with a microphone and too much free time,” said Pearlman. “
“There was, everyone came to realize, no reason to be here. It was a circus arranged by the modern-day P.T. Barnum, sans elephants and tigers.”
Rodman, who didn’t seem to value any of the reporter’s time, said the following.
“I just called this press conference to see if you would all show up, and you did.”
At the time, Lisa Guerrero of KCBS-TV had enough, questioning a giggling Rodman on being selfish.
“Don’t you think you are being a distraction, causing this whole circus and prolonging your signing? Don’t you think that’s kind of being selfish for someone trying to be a team player?”
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed, with Rodman having a sudden outbreak, replying at Guerrero, saying the following.
“Are you kidding me, honey?” said the two-time All-Star. “You’re calling me selfish? I’ve been a team player, honey. I’ve been a team player for 13 years. All of a sudden, I do something like this and I’m selfish.”
“I’m never going to win,” Rodman said between tears. “No matter what I do for this league, for the game of basketball, I’m never going to win.” He opened a piece of paper, pointed to some letters. “I’ve got 10 charities here that I’m going to give $10K to. You tell me if that’s selfish.” (He was holding a takeout menu.)
While Guerrero became national news, Rodman would play a mere 23-games for the Lakers, making more noise off the court than his performances on the hardwood.
