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“Going to gay clubs and wearing drag made me feel good”: Dennis Rodman on how awe-inspiring it was to immerse himself in drag culture

Samir Mehdi
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Dennis Rodman opens up about the more eccentric parts of his life from his time as an NBA player; everything from drag shows to gay clubs. 

Dennis Rodman was undoubtedly one of, if not the most, eccentric athletes the NBA has ever seen step foot on its hardwood. The rebounding savant always needed an outlet, other than basketball, to let out any frustrations he had with life. ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries dedicated 2 full episodes to expand upon the Rodman mythos and what made him tick the way he did. 

‘The Worm’ did everything from skip work to go on 48 hour long trips to Las Vegas to getting married to himself, all in the span of perhaps 10 years. It was quite obvious that was intrigued by drag culture in 1990s as he would dress in drag himself, while also attending several drag events.

Also read: “Michael Jordan is a con-man, he’ll act like your friend then kill you”: Knicks coach, Jeff Van Gundy, infamously called out the Bulls legend for faking friendships across the league

What is slightly more unknown is that Dennis Rodman would also frequent gay clubs in his spare time, something he admits to doing in this GQ interview of his. 

Dennis Rodman on going to gay clubs and drag shows. 

Dennis Rodman became so infatuated with drag culture that he began bringing drag queens to his games from time to time. He told GQ: 

“In San Antonio, I started going to gay clubs. I started going to drag clubs. I started bringing drag queens to games. When you talk to people in the gay community, someone who does drag, something like that, they’re so f**king happy. They hold their head up so high every f**king day man.” 

“I guess it kind of made me have a sense of awareness of like, ‘Man, I used to dress like this as a kid. Wearing a dress made feel good, you know?”

Also read: “While Kobe Bryant studied Michael Jordan and his game, he couldn’t do what MJ did off the court”: Former Laker Kwame Brown talks about his former teammates and the biggest difference between them

Dennis Rodman would also go on to talk about the Chicago Bulls dynasty he shared alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen while also opening up about his relationships with controversial political leaders. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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