Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman had one of the most eventful NBA careers of all time. Despite his off-court issues and constant rumors of promiscuity, Rodman was a huge asset for the Bulls. His bad boy reputation worked well with his on-court determination and antics, despite the fact that Rodman had consistent struggles with mental health. In his book, “I Should Be Dead By Now,” Rodman was asked about who he thought were the people who loved him.
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A heartbreaking response from Rodman saw him initially stall. Eventually, he claimed that his two children, Trinity and Dennis Jr., who were 3 and 4 years old at the time, were probably the only ones who loved the real him. The former forward claimed even that was because his two children were too young, and blind to who he was.
Dennis Rodman made heart-breaking admission about the people who loved him
Rodman has a total of 3 children. His first marriage in 1993 with Annie Baker resulted in his eldest child, Alexis Rodman. Alexis confessed to having a difficult childhood due to the issues her father dealt with.
The two eventually repaired their relationship. However, back in 1992, when Trinity was just 4 years old, Rodman’s eldest daughter did not spend a lot of time with him.
Speaking in his book, Rodman confessed that at least his two youngest kids still loved him. However, he also claimed and accepted the fact that it was only because they were too young and blind to see the real him. By his own admission, Rodman could not give a straight answer when asked about the people who he thought loved him:
“The question was simple enough: ‘Who loves Dennis Rodman, and who does Dennis Rodman love?’ But it got me stammering. ‘Who loves Dennis Rodman?’ I finally asked, stalling. I really don’t know who loves Dennis Rodman. My kids for sure—at least the two little ones, Dennis Jr.—’D.J.,’ we call him— and Trinity. But they’re so young, four and three; they’re blind right now. They just know daddy, daddy, daddy. They don’t know ‘Dennis Rodman.’”
Rodman is doing the best he can as a father in recent years
There is little doubt that there is a lot of sadness and regret associated with Dennis Rodman’s off-court life during his playing career. His constant struggles made it impossible for him to actually be happy even when he was in the prime of his career.
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More so, his issues also affected the kind of father he was to his children. Trinity Rodman, at the age of 21, plays for the Washington Spirit of the NWSL.
Trinity has often talked about the kind of impact the Bulls legend had on her childhood, and how Rodman was an estranged father through most of it. In November 2021, Trinity revealed how her father attended her first NWSL game of hers in a long time.
She posted a heartwarming caption that proved that the two have also been working to repair their relationship in recent years. In 2019, Rodman had said to ESPN that his biggest demon was convincing himself that he can be a good father:
“The only major, major demon I have right now is trying to convince myself that I am a good dad. It’s very hard for me to try to break out of that cycle.”
