Dennis Rodman had amassed pretty much of a cult following due to his bizarre antics on and off the NBA court. Rodman constantly dominated media headlines in the prime of his career, rarely because of his heroics on the court. His tendency to be shrouded in controversy at all times afforded him a superstardom that even rivaled that of Michael Jordan. That is not to say the Chicago Bulls star didn’t deserve any fame or recognition. Rodman was mostly tasked to clean up the dirt for the Bulls, the kind of blue-collar job that is necessary to win a Championship but didn’t have a glorified and fancy title. Despite his popularity in the media and among fans, Rodman was mostly considered to be a ‘weird’ guy by his peers.
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Rodman’s struggles with mental health throughout his NBA career are well-documented. His mental health started deteriorating rapidly after the Detroit Pistons initiated their rebuild phase. Growing up without a father, Rodman looked up to head coach Chuck Daly as a father figure in the team. After Daly’s departure, the then Pistons star spiralled out of control and even contemplated taking his own life at one point in time. Therefore, Rodman treasured his relationship with former Pistons teammate John Salley when the latter joined the Bulls in 1996.
Dennis Rodman and John Salley once trolled Alonzo Mourning during their Bulls stint
Michael Jordan ran a tight ship. But Rodman and Salley found solace in each other’s friendship. They even had fun trolling other players using the Worm’s scandalous reputation.
Dennis Rodman had accrued a distinct reputation because of his choice of clothing, which were pretty shocking for people back in the day. Rodman’s cross-dressing habits and tendency to indulge in nose rings, tattoos often prompted a dubious perception of him in the minds of his peers.
And John Salley tried to capitalize on that to bother Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning. During a recent episode of Showtime Basketball‘s All the Smoke podcast, Salley detailed how he and Rodman teased the 2006 NBA Champion during an NBA game. “We just started messing with him. I said, ‘Dennis thinks you’re cute.’ And Dennis had asthma, so he’s breathing funny. And he’s[Mourning] like, ‘What’s wrong with y’all!” Salley said.
Meanwhile, Stephen Jackson chimed in, saying he has seen a video of the incident. “Dennis Rodman was standing straight behind [Mourning]. And Zo comes out the game, he looked at him and like, ‘You a sick MF. Man you are sick,'” Jackson added.
Rodman was not a big trash-talker but…
Dennis Rodman was never a big trash-talker. But he had a way of getting under players’ skin and disrupting their game. The five-time NBA Champion always gave his 100% on the floor and was a pivotal part of the Bulls’ second three-peat.
Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins once said during an NBA75 documentary, “Dennis wasn’t much of a talker as much as he was like a pest…He would try to get in your head and do stuff to try to get you out of your game. That was his strong suit.”
Rodman received a lot of backlash for partying before games and missing practice. However, nobody could ever dispute the fact that he always left his everything on the floor.
