Many NBA players have come and gone since the retirement of Dennis Rodman. However, it’s hard to find a name more eccentric than he was during his time in the league. Despite his infamous antics off the court, the Dallas Mavericks decided to sign Rodman for the 1999-2000 season, with an annual salary of $441,176. However, Rodman recently revealed that he never wanted to play for the Dallas side in the first place.
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Prior to Rodman’s time with the Mavericks, he was Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s teammate on the iconic LA Lakers squad that three-peated from 1999 to 2002. However, things never quite worked out between Rodman and the team. In fact, the five-time NBA champion was even labeled ‘the worst teammate’ by Shaq at the time.
Dennis Rodman talks about how Mark Cuban got him to play for the Dallas Mavericks
Ever since his stint with the Detroit Pistons, Dennis Rodman had adopted his wild habits of persistent drinking and partying. So, when he thought his career was on the rocks after the Lakers stint, that’s all the Worm could think of.
During his interview with ‘DJ Vlad’, Rodman spoke about how the new Mavericks owner Mark Cuban found him at the time and convinced him to join Dallas. Once he agreed, Cuban flew him out to the team, where they sealed the deal. Here is what he said on the matter.
“Mark Cuban came and got me from the Orange County…He came and got me and literally took me to Dallas by plane the next day. I didn’t ask to do that sh*t. I was having a good time, I was partying my a** off!”
Subsequently, Rodman said how the Dallas Mavericks personnel went ballistic when they found out the franchise had acquired him. He also revealed that his initial jersey number was going to be #69 before the NBA put a stop to it at the 12th hour.
The NBA was looking to maintain a certain image at the time. And given how Rodman’s reputation preceded him, it is no surprise that he saw himself out of the NBA before long.
What teams did Rodman play for?
Dennis Rodman played just 12 games with the Mavericks. In these, he got 6 technical fouls, was thrown out of the game on two occasions, and even got a 1 game suspension. Soon the Mavs waived Rodman’s contract and ended his brief stint.
Over the course of his NBA career, Rodman played for 5 NBA teams, starting with the Pistons, then the Spurs, Bulls, and Lakers, before his stint in Dallas.
