NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman reveals he gifted the Zen Master Phil Jackson a customized Harley Davidson as the Bulls management were too cheap to pay him well.
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There weren’t many that understood the complex character that Dennis Rodman was. The Worm didn’t really play well with others and was known for his uncanny behavior. However, Rodman had his people, one of them being Bulls head coach Phil Jackson.
Unlike others, Phil took the time and effort to make Rodman fit into the Bulls roster. The Zen Master knew how to exploit the strengths of his forward. While many had doubts over The Worm meshing with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Phil was confident of having the former Pistons on board.
On the other hand, Rodman developed a deep respect for the veteran coach. The two-time DPOY poured his heart out in his book titled ‘Walk On The Wild Side.’ Rodman, known for his extravagant ways of leading life, believed Phil was also the same during the latter’s young days.
“Phil is just a cool dude. He’s one sports figure who’s interesting enough that I wouldn’t mind hanging out with him for a while. If he wasn’t married, I would want to see what kind of guy he is, if he’s a party animal, if he’s a s*x-crazed jungle man. He probably was in his youth, when he was playing basketball.”
Via: Basketball Network
After winning his first title with the Bulls in 1996, Rodman was livid about the management not paying Phil well, so much so that he decided to gift his coach a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Dennis Rodman threw shade at the Bulls management by gifting Phil Jackson a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle.
It’s no secret that Phil never really shared a great relationship with the Bulls front office, especially GM Jerry Krause. However, Phil was a favorite amongst the players, who were ready to leave the team if he didn’t coach, His Airness leading from the front.
At the time, Phil had won the coach of the year but didn’t get paid the amount he deserved. A top 15 coach of all time, many believed the Bulls were being very cheap in offering the Zen Master a new contract. Thus Rodman decided to honor his coach’s real value, gifting him a luxury motorcycle.
“Just before the start of the 1996-97 season, I showed my appreciation to Phil by presenting him with a custom Harley-Davidson. Even though he had just won his fourth championship for the Bulls, our cheap-a** management di*ked him around and treated him like a pi**-boy. They wouldn’t offer him what he was worth, and he had to settle for a one-year contract for $2.5 million-good money, but way less than what someone like John Calipari, who had never coached in the NBA before, got from the New Jersey Nets. Phil could have told them to fu*k off, and he would have gotten hired somewhere for major bucks. But he stayed in Chicago, and that meant Michael Jordan stayed, and I stayed, and another championship is within our grasp.”
Via: Basketball Network
The fact that players like MJ were willing to leave the game of basketball if Phil didn’t coach, spoke volumes of the latter as an individual. Post the 1996 championship, Phil and his men would win two more chips, completing a second 3-peat, before GM Jerry Krause decided to rebuild the franchise.
