Actors - Dennis Rodman

Home > Listing Index > Actors > Dennis Rodman

	Actors - Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961 in Trenton, New Jersey) is a former professional basketball player known for his defense and rebounding ability and for his controversial antics on and off the court. He has also acted or featured in television and film roles.

When Rodman entered the NBA in 1986, he was listed as 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), although many say he was actually 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). Rodman played one of the most physical positions in basketball at power forward, and despite giving up as much as half a foot in some matchups, was considered perhaps the top rebounder of his generation and one of the best defenders at his position. His nicknames were "Dennis the Menace" or "(the) Worm", given to him by his mother for wriggling around while playing pinball.

Career

Pre-NBA and amateur career

Rodman, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, was far from a basketball prospect in high school; he only became one when he grew 11 inches (27 cm) in one year, late in his teenage years. After a stint at Cooke County College in Gainesville, Texas, he played for Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school. There, he was a good scorer as well as a good rebounder.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons took sufficient notice of him to select him in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft. At that time, the Pistons were an up-and-coming team led by Isiah Thomas at point guard, Joe Dumars at shooting guard, and Bill Laimbeer at center. They had notable role players in Adrian Dantley, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, and Rick Mahorn. Rodman's intensity was a perfect fit for a team known for its rough style of play and tenacious defense. The Pistons were knocked out of the playoffs in 1987 by their nemesis Boston Celtics, although Rodman did a decent job of guarding their star player, Larry Bird.

In 1988, Rodman seemed to show even more star potential, crashing the boards more and defending better than before. In 1989, he was finally recognized for his work by being named Defensive Player of the Year, the first of two straight. He finished second to Laimbeer in rebounding on the team, and Rodman helped the Pistons put away the young Chicago Bulls for the second straight year as they won their first NBA championship. The following year was almost identical, with the Pistons beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals again, winning their second straight championship, and Rodman again winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Pistons also posted a franchise-high 63 wins during the regular season.

In 1991, the Pistons were jolted when they were swept by the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. Rodman led the team in rebounding, but it was not enough. Rodman would have to raise his level of play, and he did. In 1992, Rodman was phenomenal, averaging over 18 rebounds a game as he won the first of seven straight rebounding titles. In one game, he achieved an amazing career high 34 total rebounds. Rodman did not overpower or outreach opponents. Instead, he used an almost scientific approach to calculate how the ball would ricochet off the basket to be in prime position to grab it. 1993 was Rodman's second top rebounding season, but it was his last with the Pistons.

A fateful night

One night late during the 1992–1993 season, he was found sitting in his pickup truck with a loaded shotgun in the Pistons' parking lot. Rodman claimed in one of his two autobiographies that that night was when he killed the old Dennis and let the new Dennis emerge. In the offseason he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Sean Elliott.

San Antonio Spurs

In San Antonio, Texas, Rodman continued his glass-cleaning expertise and allowed center David Robinson to focus more on scoring; Robinson won the scoring title. It marked the first time that teammates won both the scoring and rebounding title, but it would not be the last for Rodman. The following season, Rodman helped San Antonio to their best season in franchise history with 62 wins, and they made it to the Western Conference finals. However, his increasingly erratic off-court life, including a brief but heavily-publicized relationship with Madonna, and on-court antics, such as dying his hair, proved too much for the Spurs. The last straw was when he failed to arrive with the rest of the team for the critical fifth game of the conference finals.

Chicago Bulls

In the offseason, Rodman was dealt to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue in order to fill a large hole at power forward left by Horace Grant. The Bulls, with Rodman and the return from retirement of Michael Jordan, improved 25 games, from 47 to an NBA record 72 victories. Later, in the playoffs, the Bulls easily made their way to the NBA Finals and the NBA championship. Rodman, Jordan, and Scottie Pippen all made the All-Defensive First Team, the first time three players from the same team made it on the first team. Rodman led the league in rebounding for the fifth straight year, and Jordan won the scoring title, the second time that teammates had led the league in scoring and rebounding. They would repeat in '97 and '98 as the team three-peated for the second time in the decade.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dennis Rodman ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Dennis Rodman; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.