After one of the most anticipated comebacks (from retirement) in sports history, Michael Jordan, along with Scottie Pippen and Bulls’ Head Coach Phil Jackson, contemplated a title run in 1995. It could not happen as they crashed out in the 2nd round of the Playoffs. In the off-season, Jordan made sure to put aside his ego and recruit Dennis Rodman, who was due for a $2.5 million contract with the Spurs for the 1995-96 season.
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However, their rivalry on the court since Rodman’s Pistons days was too big a problem for both of them to forget. And so, it also needed Scottie Pippen and Coach Jackson to come together and join MJ in convincing Rodman to bury the hatchet and join them to compete for the title.
Having lost in the Playoffs against a young 7ft 1’ Shaquille O’Neal team, they knew, they could not have gotten a better player than the 6ft 6’ Dennis the Menace to slow down the Magic big man. The very man MJ thought was an “a**hole” had to be “convinced” by half the Bulls to come and help them win a title.
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Michael Jordan considered Dennis Rodman an “a**hole” but felt the need for his acquisition
The Bulls, and especially Michael Jordan, were constantly bullied from a physical standpoint by the Pistons of the late 80s and early 90s. Led by Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, the ‘Bad Boys’ made life a living hell for the Chicago Bulls and other teams in the East with their rough style of play.
The aforementioned guards did that in the backcourt, while Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman did the same in the frontcourt. They made it a point not just to rough up their opponents but injure them deliberately, and almost the entire NBA did not like them for that.
MJ, having lost 3 straight times against them in the Playoffs between 1998 and 1990, hated them so much, that even after winning 2 championships and 2x Finals MVPs, he openly called Rodman an “a**hole” in a Playboy magazine (1992) interview.
Q: Is [Bill] Laimbeer worse than the rest of them, even [Dennis] Rodman?
MJ: No, I think Rodman and Laimbeer are just alike. They try to live up to their image of being a**holes.
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Even after joining hands, Rodman and Jordan never became “friends”
Although you would not be able to spot it from their chemistry on the basketball court, Dennis Rodman didn’t have any kind of relationship with MJ or Pippen off the court.
They treated each other like brothers through all the ups and downs but never had a friendly conversation with each other in their 3 years together.
Only coach Jackson was close to Rodman among the three of the Bulls’ core.
In fact, Phil reportedly bonded with ‘The Worm’ better than any of the other players of his squad, including the iconic duo.
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