“Sometimes I look at them in practice, Michael Jordan and Scottie were like Baryshnikov”: When Dennis Rodman credited the Bulls legends with saving his life, admitted that he fanboyed for them in practice

Dennis Rodman credits Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls for turning his life around from his low point in San Antonio.

A part of the legend of Michael Jordan – the leader – was how he seemed to possess a manic energy around his teams. He would often be bullying his teammates with his words, poking at them in subliminal ways to get the best out of them.

We’ve all heard stories about the bust-ups he’s had with a few former teammates – Steve Kerr immediately comes to mind. But not all of his teammates got the same brash, in-your-face version of MJ.

Dennis Rodman is a man unto himself – he’s totally unique in his personality and with his experiences. He didn’t always respond to the carrot-or-stick approach.

He infamously fell out in San Antonio with their head coaches and management, refusing to give effort in playoff games. There was a point when he was considered an untradeable asset by GMs around the league.

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Dennis Rodman says Michael Jordan was a hands-off teammate, contrary to other versions

Phil Jackson and Jordan recognized the drive that Rodman could give his team if properly channelized. That was the reason why the Worm believes MJ gave him comparatively a hands-off approach. This is what he had to say about his relationship with MJ a few years back:

“(MJ was) not too hard, not too hard on me. Me and Michael didn’t hang out too much during the season. I was more like the loner in the group.”

“But these guys had a special bond. They were with each other for 6-7 years in the beginning, before I got there. And it was fun to watch those two guys interact with each other.”

“Sometimes I look on the court and they’re like Baryshnikov, they’re so graceful in practice, so gracious on the court. Sometimes, I’m just like a kid when I look at these guys.”

“I gotta say, those days they saved my life, pretty much. Scottie has done so much for me when I was in Chicago. Sometimes when I was doing my crazy stuff and I had to come back home and he reeled me back in.”

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