“My Family and the Police”: When Dennis Rodman, Who was Jealous of Shaquille O’Neal $25m Salary, Compared His NBA Journey with the 7ft 1″ Superstar

Dennis Rodman had the most surprising journey to the NBA. Usually, any athlete vying to reach the NBA starts preparing for it from an early age. Most players compete at the school level and make a name for themselves.

But for Rodman, his entry into the NBA was vastly different from almost all of his peers. Until his graduation from school, the Bulls legend stood at 5ft 11″ and was not at all skilled enough to ever hope of playing in the NBA.

Instead, he worked as a janitor at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. While working this horrible graveyard shift, Rodman shot up 8 inches and grew to 6ft 7″. The growth spurt opened doors for Dennis that had been closed off until very recently.

Naturally, with a journey so unique and difficult, Dennis knew he wasn’t the same as players like Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. In his book, he couldn’t help but compare their journey to his own.

Crazy to think that Dennis Rodman was working as a janitor until he had a large growth spurt and decided to try basketball at the age of 21.

He was then drafted by the Pistons 4 years later at age 25 and became one of the best rebounders/defenders of all time 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Dlov7VYeqI

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) August 22, 2022

Dennis Rodman compared his entry into the NBA to Shaquille O’Neal’s

In his book ‘Bad As I Wanna Be,’ Rodman reflected a lot on his NBA career. He was a little bitter about how he was perceived and what he was paid but he also understood that the path he had taken separated him from the other stars who demanded hefty paychecks.

According to Rodman, players like Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway were already household names during their high school careers. Rodman claimed that by the time Shaq was 20, he was making millions while when he was 20, he was still working as a janitor.

Rodman also believed that coming from such a background, changed his perspective. The knowledge that at 20 no one knew of him other than his family and the police really altered the way he saw his rise as an NBA athlete.

Rodman: “When I was 20 years old, I was a janitor in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. When Shaquille O’Neal was 20, he was making millions of dollars and publishing his biography.”

He elaborated on his path: “For me this is a totally mind-boggling experience. My path wasn’t golden—it wasn’t even paved. I didn’t really play basketball in high school, and the only people who knew about me when I was eighteen were my family and the police. It might not have been the ideal background, but it gave me another perspective. I know something other than basketball, and I know what can happen if basketball isn’t here.”

Rodman complained about the salary discrepancy in the NBA

In his book Bad As I Wanna Be, Rodman also complained about his salary. He claimed that while Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan made $25 million and $35 million respectively, he was only making $3 million.

Rodman believed he should have been paid more but no one was ready to listen. Rodman even pointed out the difference in paychecks. But he was asked to wait his turn.