When the 1990s Chicago Bulls are mentioned, the image of Michael Jordan soaring through the air with his tongue sticking out usually comes to mind. But that dynasty wasn’t just about MJ’s brilliance or, for that matter, Scottie Pippen’s versatility. Many key pieces—including Dennis Rodman—helped the Bulls become one of the greatest teams of all time.
Advertisement
As the Bulls clinched their 5th title in seven years, many thought Dennis Rodman’s time in the Windy City was over. He had a rather tumultuous season. In one incident, he kicked a cameraman and earned an 11-game suspension.
On top of that, Rodman had knee troubles, foul troubles, and lowered performances in the playoffs, averaging a horrid 4.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in the 1997 playoffs. Most people assumed Michael Jordan and the Bulls would be done with him.
One reporter even asked Jordan point-blank after the Bulls won the 1997 championship if he wanted Rodman to return. In a video that’s resurfaced on Reddit, Jordan can be seen publicly backing “The Worm.”
“His dresses doesn’t bother me, his hair doesn’t bother me,” Jordan said with a smile on his face. He acknowledged how Rodman would go “wacko” every now and then, but the Bulls had come to accept that.
MJ was referring to the various eccentric hair colors and outfits Rodman sported over the years. Rodman was also known for his lifestyle full of booze, women, and non-stop parties. However, MJ and the Bulls believed they had “been able to control him to some degree.”
On the court, Rodman was a beast. “You can’t find another player on the basketball court that works just as hard as Dennis Rodman. Gives 110%, dives at loose balls, even if he can’t get them,” Jordan praised Rodman, highlighting what he brought to the team.
His Airness then abundantly made it clear how the key pillars of the team—himself, coach Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen—had no issues with Rodman.
Jordan and his teammates’ faith in Rodman to show up inside the four lines kept them wanting Rodman on the 1997-98 team. The Bulls ended up offering him a 1-year, $4.6 million contract, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Rodman was a key component in the Bulls’ 1998 title run and helped them complete their second three-peat of the decade.
Rodman took a “mini vacation” during the 1997-98 season
At the start of the ’97-98 season, Scottie Pippen missed the first 35 games to recover from surgery on his left foot. During that time, as Jordan described it, Dennis Rodman was a “model citizen.” But it was taking a toll on The Worm.
When Pippen returned to the Bulls lineup, Rodman decided it was time for a break. In Last Dance, Michael Jordan described how Rodman reached out to coach Phil Jackson, who made him also talk to MJ.
“I come to practice. Phil calls me and says, Dennis want to tell you something. When Dennis wants to tell me something, I know it’s not something I f***ing wanna hear.”
“Dennis says, ‘I need a vacation’,” Jordan recalled. He was skeptical about letting Rodman go to Vegas like he wanted, telling the coach how they’d never see him again if he went. But Phil Jackson relented and gave Rodman 48 hours off.
That’s where the story got fun. Rodman embarked on his vacation on January 18, 1998, and was scheduled to be out till January 21st. He flew out to Vegas with his then-girlfriend Carmen Electra. Everyone expected Rodman to be back to play the Hornets on 21st, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Two nights later, the Bulls played the Nets in New Jersey, and Rodman was still MIA. After escaping with a 100-98 overtime win, the team returned to Chicago, and MJ got on a plane to Vegas. He located Rodman in his hotel room and dragged him back to the team.
After a multiple-day bender, when Rodman returned to the floor against the Jazz, he recorded 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. After that mini vacation, he went back to being a model teammate and didn’t miss any of the remaining games of the season.
