“My year with Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 1996 wasn’t my best year”: Dennis Rodman admitted that his best basketball was played with Pistons

Dennis Rodman once said that he felt the best year of his career was actually in 1990, not in 1996 when the Bulls won 72 games. 

Dennis Rodman wasn’t exactly lauded as being a top recruit for any university and that trend continued on into the big leagues as he was selected well outside of the lottery. Out of Southeastern Oklahoma State, the Detroit Pistons snagged the defensive stalwart in the 1986 NBA Draft with the 27th overall pick. 

Despite showcasing a decent level of scoring ability prior to coming into the NBA, it was clear what Chuck Daly had in mind for ‘The Worm’: rebound and defend. This had become Rodman’s identity in the league from that moment forward, with him averaging double digits in merely one season, that being 11.6 ppg in his sophomore year.

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Dennis Rodman would be an integral piece for the Pistons’ frontcourt in the coming years, eventually winning two straight championships in 1989 and ‘90. 

Fast-forward to the summer of 1995 and it was clear Dennis’s relationship with the Spurs front office (Pop in particular) had deteriorated. So, they traded him to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue. 

Dennis Rodman on his best year in the NBA not being with the Chicago Bulls. 

In his first season alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman won his 3rd championship after winning 72 games in the regular season. That 1996 Bulls team is often regarded as one of, if not, the greatest squad in NBA history. 

Despite the historic and record-setting nature of that run Rodman had in Chicago in just that one year, he didn’t believe it was his best year from an individual standpoint. During the ‘96 offseason, he went on the David Letterman show and talked about how a previous season of his was better.

Also read: “Dennis Rodman almost played for the Miami Heat!”: How the Bulls legend almost ended up in the Vice City but Pat Riley denied him 

“No, no no no, this year wasn’t the best basketball that I’ve played. It’s just because I was on the Chicago Bulls, that’s it. 1989-90 was a good year, this was more gratifying because I proved a lot of people wrong that I’m not crazy.”[at 2:02 minute mark]

Rodman was allowed to score a bit more during his time in Detroit when compared to his stint under Phil Jackson. this may be a contributing factor in why he claimed he preferred a year with them over a year with the Bulls.