One of the most underrated skills in the NBA is the ability to get into an opponent’s head. There aren’t many players that were better at doing that than Dennis Rodman. The unpredictable rebounding machine played with his heart on his sleeve every single game. Former Chicago Bulls teammate, Ron Harper, witnessed a moment where Rodman got into the head of one of the best players ever.
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Harper’s name gets lost among the key players on the Bulls championship teams. Before joining Chicago, he was one of the best point guards in the league. In his tenure with the Cavaliers and Clippers, he averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on 45.2 shooting from the field.
Once he joined the Bulls, he took a back seat in terms of productivity. However, he elevated the team tremendously as the starting point guard. He helped lead the Bulls to three championships in a row and later won back-to-back titles with the Lakers.
Harper spent a lot of time alongside Rodman during his years with the Bulls. The five-time champion guard joined former Bulls player and commentator, Stacey King’s ‘Gimme the Hot Sauce Podcast’ to share a legendary Rodman story. He said,
“Dennis Rodman made Shaq, [Alonzo Mourning] forget about trying to play basketball, they just wanted to fight him. They forgot about the game. We were like okay we got them now.”
Rodman’s role on the Bulls involved being the team’s enforcer. In his efforts to do so, he made it a point of emphasis to grab every rebound he could. One of the best ways he could get an advantage is to get in the head of his matchups.
Harper highlights Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning as two players that Rodman could throw off their games. Chicago’s mental fortitude became one of their strongest assets during their championship runs. Once they noticed that they were winning the mental game, it only was a matter of moments before they took over the physical one.
Instances of Rodman’s mind games
Rodman’s mind games weren’t only reserved for certain players, he played them in every game. However, some players were more susceptible than most.
In numerous matchups against the Bulls and Knicks in the 90s, Hall-of-Fame big man Patrick Ewing fell victim to Rodman’s mind games. There remained a competitive fire between the two until one moment when Ewing had enough.
On March 3, 1997, the Bulls and Knicks were in a competitive matchup in Madison Square Garden. Rodman got into several skirmishes with Knicks players throughout the game, including with Charles Oakley and Ewing.
It wasn’t until the second half, following a shove by Rodman to Ewing, that the Knicks legend lost his cool. An altercation ensued between the two teams, further heightening the rivalry between these franchises in the 90s.
Former Jazz player Antoine Carr revealed that Rodman didn’t always resort to physicality. He would utter random phrases throughout the game to confuse his opponents, too. Carr said, “He tries to get in your head, and if he’s able to do that, then it’s going to cause more havoc for your team. He wouldn’t say too much; he would just do ODD things! Like when he called me up and said, ‘Hey dog, I’m getting married.’ I said, ‘Okay. What’s going on?’ He said, ‘I’m marrying MYSELF!’ So it’s like, ‘Okay.’”
Rodman is one of the most flamboyant personalities to grace an NBA court. Although his methods weren’t common, they resulted in five championships and a Hall-of-Fame career.
