Dennis Rodman’s life during the peak of his playing career was synonymous with ‘living on the edge.’ He was known for his eccentric lifestyle, which had earned him quite some reputation off the court. One of his most prolific incidents of living such a lifestyle was with Carmen Electra, whom he married in Las Vegas after several months of wild romance in 1998. However, Dennis Rodman later admitted to encountering panic attacks and anxiety after spending over $250,000 on one of Carmen Electra’s shopping sprees.
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Dennis Rodman was (in)famous for his litany of interactions and relationships with several other women before Carmen Electra. Even with Carmen, Rodman admitted to often flying her out during the day to spend time with her but would be found having dinner with a different woman at night.
Dennis Rodman had a panic attack following a $250,000 shopping spree with Carmen Electra
Dennis Rodman loved to spoil his love interest, Carmen Electra, in ways unimaginable. He would take her out on lavish dates and sponsor the actress’s retail therapies and shopping sprees. In his book ‘I Should Be Dead by Now,’ Rodman admitted he once had a panic attack paying for a $250,000 splurge by Electra. This quote from the book perfectly sums up Rodman’s feelings about taking his ex-wife out for a shopping expedition.
“While she didn’t get a watch, she did pick out these nice diamond earrings, this nice diamond necklace, this nice diamond ankle bracelet, and this nice diamond toe ring. The prices were marked in francs so at first I didn’t know what the hell I was getting into. Then they brought me the American Express thing to sign, the total translated into good old American dollars. My hands started shaking. I started to hyperventilate. I went outside and sat on the steps, and George joined me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “You okay?” he asked. I shook my head.
Dennis Rodman faced job insecurity after the Chicago Bulls released him at the end of the 1998-1999 season. The most recent winner of the NBA title was at the mercy of several other franchises offering him a legible contract following his golden era at the Bulls. Although he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks in the subsequent years, Dennis Rodman could not sustain his net worth, which dropped to just $500,000 by the time he retired from basketball. A quote from the book perfectly sums up this situation when Rodman faced despair, signing a $250,000 just for Carmen’s jewelry.
“You know, if this relationship with Carmen doesn’t work out, you have to get all this s**t back. My three-year run with the Bulls was over, I wasn’t sure I’d even have a job the next year, and this wasn’t some $10,000 outfit at Versace or even a $50,000 Mercedes. I was about to sign for $250,000 worth of jewelry.”
In his 12 seasons in the NBA, Dennis Rodman had supposedly earned $27,031,176 from his team contracts. Extravagant shopping splurges and bad financial decisions dropped his net worth to just $500,000. Unlike his Bulls compatriot Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Rodman could never hold on to his career earnings, splurging on them with his wild, young life during his playing days.
Rodman’s fear of job insecurity was much more real than he had thought
Dennis Rodman did face a fall from grace right after he departed from the Bulls in 1999. When he briefly arrived at the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1999 season, he was offered a contract for a pro-rated salary and played only 23 games. At Dallas Mavericks, he was unmotivated and despised by fans and fellow teammates for his erratic behavior and lack of leadership.
Rodman was never seen in the NBA after a year-long hiatus from 2003 to 2004. He tried his luck with several other leagues in the USA and foreign countries. But the same glory and fame as his NBA days were left behind in his past. The Worm, one of the greatest rebounders, retired at Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League in 2006.
