Dennis Rodman had the opportunity to share the court with two NBA legends–Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
In a recent interview with VladTV, Rodman shared the biggest difference between playing with Jordan and Bryant. He believes Jordan was more driven to win than Bryant.
“You get something similar, but I think Michael was more driven to win,” Rodman said. “We’re gonna win, and he took control of that. I give him that credit right there. I give him that. Scottie had that will too, but Kobe became like that. Kobe started to emulate his game like Michael.”
Rodman then explained the difference in playing styles of Jordan and Bryant with a great analogy.
“I think Kobe was more like a gymnast when he played and Michael’s more like [Mikhail] Baryshnikov a ballet dancer because you know most of the times he played on his toes, and when he does shift, it’s always like boom boom,” Rodman added. “All of a sudden, like one-two punch.”
“I think everybody tried to say Kobe’s just like Michael, and I think that’s what give him that praise at his funeral. I think he realized the fact that, ‘Yeah.'”
Rodman played with Jordan for three seasons in 1996, 1997, and 1998. The Bulls won their second three-peat in that time span, with Jordan winning three NBA Finals MVPs as well. That stretch took his total tally of rings and Finals MVPs to six. Jordan retired from the league in 1998 for the second time in his career.
Following Jordan’s retirement, the Bulls dynasty was broken up. Rodman then joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1998-99 NBA season. He played 23 games with Kobe Bryant, but it was apparently more than enough for him to gauge that Michael Jordan was more driven to win. When it was all said and done, Kobe Bryant retired in 2016 with five NBA Championships to his name, ultimately winning one less than Jordan.
Dennis Rodman Claimed Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal Were Jealous Of Him
During his short stint with the Lakers, Rodman averaged 2.1 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 1.3 APG. Rodman would go on to leave the Lakers next summer to join the Dallas Mavericks.
According to the Worm, Kobe and Shaq played a role in his departure because they were jealous of him. Rodman believes he stole all the attention from the dynamic duo following his arrival in Los Angeles in 1998.
“It was hard because I knew the fact that Shaq and Kobe wouldn’t like me,” Rodman said. “… I knew Kobe and Shaq wouldn’t like me because the whole attention became Dennis. It shifted from them to me quick. You could see it in the stands and see it in the city. I’m not trying to do anything. They rarely would talk to me, even in games and stuff like that, they would rarely talk to me. I think that’s the main reason why they cut me.”
Following Rodman’s exit from the team, Kobe and Shaq would go on to win three consecutive NBA Championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Unfortunately, Rodman wasn’t part of those championship-winning teams.
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