After a two-year-long championship drought, the Chicago Bulls returned to the NBA mountaintop following their 1996 title win against the Seattle SuperSonics. For years, fans credited Michael Jordan as the prime architect behind this triumph. However, Shawn Kemp, then-starting player of the SuperSonics, recently expressed a contradicting viewpoint, shockingly putting Dennis Rodman over MJ in the pecking order.
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The 54-year-old admitted that his team failed to create a strategy to mitigate Rodman’s risk. As a result, the latter became the difference-maker throughout the finals series. Reminiscing about his encounter with the Bulls icon, Kemp stated on the latest All The Smoke episode,
“He [Michael Jordan] didn’t beat us in the championship…Dennis Rodman was the one who beat us. We had no answer for his a**, man…Every time they needed a second shot or something special or extra rebound or tip-in, this motherf***er was flying and winking…frustrating everybody on the team, man”.
Following this, Kemp elaborated on Rodman’s dubious yet hilarious antics. He recollected ‘The Worm’ wearing colored contacts and lipstick throughout the finals series to catch his opponents off-guard, and admitted that it was a grand success.
Additionally, Rodman allegedly kissed then-SuperSonics center, Frank Brickowski, on several occasions during this series. This eventually put the latter in an uncomfortable position, giving the then-Bulls star an advantage while contesting for rebounds.
These little events allegedly kickstarted a snowball effect on the biggest stage. When compounded at a rapid rate, this paved the way for the Bulls’ success in the finals. So, Kemp’s praise for Rodman was justified, highlighting the latter’s unusual yet proven methods in the process.
At the same time, it devalued MJ’s overall impact on the series to a certain extent, prompting fans to rethink his contributions.
A closer look at Michael Jordan’s endeavors during the 1996 NBA Finals
As then-SuperSonics talisman, Gary Payton, struggled due to injuries, the team initially decided to put Detlef Schrempf to guard Jordan in the series. This led to MJ having field days in the first three games, averaging 31 points per game. The Bulls also enjoyed a dominating start, going 3-0 in the beginning.
However, the tables slowly started to turn when Payton started marking MJ from Game 4 on. The SuperSonics authoritatively won the clash at home before repeating the same trick in Game 5. Jordan’s average during this period also dropped to 24.5 points per game, while the Bulls lost both these clashes.
This led to several wondering about the potential momentum of this series had Payton guarded MJ from the start. ‘The Glove’ also expressed the same during an interview with Complex, stating, “I wish I could have played [Michael] in the first three games, but I had torn a muscle in my calf and George had told me that he didn’t want to wear me out”.
Yet, MJ refused to give Payton any edge in this conversation. Instead, he outlined his shortcomings as the major reason behind the SuperSonics’ short-lived success. “I don’t think Gary’s defense on me dictated the way I played or the frustrations that I had. I just missed some easy shots…As far as him stopping me, I can only stop myself,” he once told SLAM Magazine.
In the end, Jordan stood his ground and came out victorious. Registering 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, he led the franchise to their fourth title while solidifying his place again as the face of the NBA.
That said, the role of the rest of the roster, notably Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Scottie Pippen, remained invaluable in the series. So, the supporters should also include their names in the conversation, adding volume to Kemp’s stance.
