Dennis Rodman

From ArticleWorld

Dennis Keith Rodman was an NBA player who was known mainly for making scenes both on and off the court. He was a very rough and physical power forward and one of the top defenders and rebounders in the league. Rodman was born on May 31, 1961 in Trenton, New Jersey but grew up in Dallas, Texas. Rodman did not show his extreme basketball skills while in high school; he was still extremely short at the time. In fact, he grew eleven inches, shotting up to 6’8", all in one year. He played for short time at a junior college and then at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school.

NBA

Rodman was a second round draft pick in the 1986 NBA Draft for the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were a talented team in the developing stages when Rodman arrived, and he fit in well with their rough and tough style of play.

In 1989, Rodman’s defensive plays were finally recognized and he was voted Defensive Player of the Year, which he would repeat the next season. Rodman continued to be a defensive leader and led the Pistons in rebounds for the next few years. 1993 would turn out to be his last year with the Pistons and, after being found in the parking lot one night with a loaded shotgun, was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

He played his usual excellent game in San Antonio, helping them to the conference finals, but they could not put up with his antics either. His off and on court life was too much and, after a short relationship with Madonna and a couple times dying his hair, the Spurs sent Rodman to Chicago.

In Chicago, Rodman met up with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and they helped themselves to three NBA titles. It was talked around the NBA that Phil Jackson. The Bulls coach, was the only coach in the NBA that could put up with Rodman, thus explaining his long stay and success in Chicago. Rodman then left Chicago and, after short stays with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, called his basketball career quits.