Michael Jordan’s legacy with the Chicago Bulls is nearly insurmountable. Six championships, a perfect 6-0 record in the Finals, and numerous other accomplishments make him one of the greatest players ever. Still, there have always been people who have their criticisms of Jordan.
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Celtics legend Robert Parish is one of them, and he revealed on a podcast episode how, if certain things had gone another way, Jordan may not have 6 rings to his name. On ‘The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty’, the Hall of Famer claimed that Jordan’s second three-peat was entirely made possible due to the presence of former Detroit Pistons enforcer Dennis Rodman.
While praising both Jordan and Scottie Pippen for their two-way abilities, Parish made sure not to minimize Rodman’s impact on the team.
“Let’s not forget. Chicago wouldn’t have won sh** without Dennis Rodman,” he said boldly. “I don’t care how good Michael and Scottie Pippen were, they wouldn’t have won sh** without Dennis Rodman. Because Luc Longley, and that other m**********r, I can’t think of the other center’s name, they was just in the way.”
The “other center” in question is Bill Wellington, who was a solid player in his own right, as was the Australian Longley. However, according to Parish, the two couldn’t defend or collect rebounds better than Rodman, and that is what wins championships.
“If it wasn’t not for Dennis Rodman, defense and rebounding, which we all know wins games, wins championships, defensive rebounding, and keeping turnovers in check. Chicago wasn’t winning sh** without Dennis Rodman,” he reiterated.
Of course, the Bulls won their first three rings sans Rodman, so maybe Parish was referencing the specific rings from ’96 to ’98. The league had changed a little by that time, with Hakeem Olajuwon dominating during Jordan’s brief retirement. Big men became that much more important, and the Bulls knew that, too. After all, they’d been eliminated in 1995 by a young Shaquille O’Neal.
They needed size, and they needed it bad. Perhaps that’s why Jordan agreed to acquire Rodman in the first place. Before the 1996 season started, the Bulls’ front office thought Rodman would fit their team like a glove. After initial reservations from both Jordan and Pippen because of his history with them (the Bad Boy Pistons still fresh in their minds), they both agreed. Phil Jackson also signed off on Rodman, and the Bulls traded for him.
After winning the chip in 1997, a reporter asked Jordan if he wanted Rodman back for another year. The Finals MVP replied, “His dresses don’t bother me. His hair don’t bother me. Sure, I mean he’s gonna go wacko every now and then, but you can’t find another player on the basketball court that works just as hard as Dennis Rodman.”
Rodman’s defense on Karl Malone was an essential part of the Bulls’ last two rings, so maybe Robert Parish was right- Chicago really wouldn’t have won sh** without him.
