On his show ‘The Ticket and The Truth’, Kevin Garnett gave props to Dennis Rodman and called him an enhanced version of Draymond Green. Garnett reflected upon the former Bulls’ Power forward’s ability to keep his energy up at all times, on the court and in the gym. It was ‘The Worm’ who taught KG how to keep himself ready for a back-to-back game situation.
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On his All the Smoke Productions-powered show, Garnett raved about the energy of the 7x rebounding champion. KG touched upon the “lateral” ability and expressed that irrespective of the era, D-Rod could “slide left and right” against any Point Guard. Comparing Rodman to 3x DPOY Draymond Green, Garnett even went on to claim that he could thrive in the current NBA.
“He played like a Draymond[Green] but more in control. He would outwork 80% of these mugs today, bro,” declared KG.
Garnett, then went on to reveal how once after playing 40+ minutes against his side Timberwolves, the Power Forward had enough in the tank to hit the gym. Post-game, while the Timberwolves forward was exhausted, Rodman was running on the treadmill despite having to play the next night.
“On the motherfu**ing treadmill in combat shoes up to his[Rodman’s]knees! Running on a 15 incline at a 15/17, talking to me!” disclosed Garnett.
The Bulls PF then advised Garnett to better prepare for the back-to-back. He advised him to “lift”. After adhering to this advice of lifting weights after games, KG admitted that he got better at dealing with back-to-backs. He also gave a shout-out to the Hall-of-Famer and revealed that he hasn’t seen anything like him. KG is among many who have been overwhelmed by Rodman’s ability to work out after finishing an NBA game.
There’s no doubt about Rodman’s hardworking nature. The former Pistons star was even in the good books of Michael Jordan, who was known for criticizing his teammates and always demanding more. Whereas, Rodman always used to put extra effort in the gym and during practice, playing a key role in the Bulls’ 3-peat during 1996-98.
Dennis Rodman was a workhorse
As a top-notch rebounder and defender, The Worm took a lot of hits and ran the floor hard on both ends. Despite keeping such energy for 40+ minutes nightly, he was able to lift weights and do cardio. Former Bulls Assistant GM Jim Stack was a huge admirer of the athlete’s ability to work out even after a ton of work in an NBA game. He compared Rodman’s drive to Michael Jordan.
In 2011, Stack expressed, ”What was compelling about Dennis is after he would play 45 minutes in a game, he would go in the weight room for an hour-and-a-half. I’d see Dennis in there, and he’s working himself into a lather riding the exercise bike, lifting weights. That always stuck with me. The guy never gets tired. He was a freak like Michael in that respect. He was bionic.”
These nuggets about the incredible rebounder got buried because of his flamboyant image. From wearing the most eccentric attires to partying hard, the unapologetic NBA athlete was in the headlines for many non-basketball reasons. However, at the end of the day, he was one of the hardest workers in NBA history.
