Some birds are not meant to be caged, and their free-spirited ways are too overwhelming for the rest of the world. Dennis Rodman was that player who was at his best when he was left unbothered. He thrived in situations where he could be himself, and his Chicago Bulls teammates – Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, understood that. In the book ‘I Should Be Dead By Now‘ by Dennis Rodman, he describes the love and support he received from Chicago and his teammates.
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Dennis was not your typical disciplined athlete, and his shenanigans could not be tolerated by everyone. His love for late-night parties, drugs, alcohol, and the typical rockstar lifestyle made him difficult to work with.
This was substantiated by his short stint with the San Antonio Spurs, where the disciplinarian lifestyle imbibed by Gregg Popovich resulted in multiple clashes. Even teammates like David Robinson didn’t take a liking to Rodman.
Dennis Rodman and the Chicago Bulls
In 1995, when things did not work out between Dennis Rodman and the Spurs organization, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Before playing for the team, coach Phil Jackson requested Rodman to apologize to Scottie. What came after has been carved in NBA history with stone. And Rodman loved every moment of it. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“Not just my career. The three years I was in Chicago were probably the most incredible three years that I’ve had as a human being. I don’t ever think I was loved as much as I was loved all over the place in Chicago—the city, the team. The love of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and all those guys, I was like, “I can’t believe this shit.” I mean the city of Chicago embraced me, gave me the opportunity to be myself and do what I do—give a rock-star performance on the court, give a rock-star performance off the court. I did everything in the book while I was playing with Chicago. They let me be myself—an independent, free, black motherf**ker. It was just unreal.”
These words from Dennis Rodman say a lot more than one can comprehend. Because the shenanigans did not stop in Chicago as well. A hiatus to Las Vegas without informing anyone, being late to practice, or just the eccentric personality was enough to rile up fans. However, they accepted him the way he was. As Dennis put it beautifully – ‘They let me by myself – an independent, free, black motherf**ker’.
David Stern summoned Dennis Rodman for his eccentricity
In the 1990s, the NBA commissioner – David Stern, had his handful with Dennis Rodman. The league was going global thanks to Michael Jordan. But the frequent news about Rodman in the media was causing him headaches. He summoned the Chicago player to his office and warned him that he would be kicked out of the NBA.
The Worm, as you would expect, did not listen and continued his ways. The commissioner could do nothing, and his lifestyle became a part of the league. David, in particular, was not fond of his tattoos and piercings. It wasn’t the norm back then. But today, it would be difficult to spot a player in today’s NBA without a tattoo. All thanks to Dennis Rodman.
