Dennis Rodman is one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, which is especially incredible when you realize he was only 6’7″.
Someone who got to witness Rodman’s rebounding prowess firsthand was Isiah Thomas, and during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, Thomas revealed how Rodman was able to dominate on the glass.
“I never saw anybody scientifically break down rebounding the way Dennis Rodman did,” Thomas said. “So, our first couple of games, we be in the lay-up line, and then he stopped. And he just standing under the rim. And (it) used to be you lay it up, and after you do your lay-ups, then you start taking little, short pull-up shots, right? And, so, whenever we start taking short pull-up shots, he would stop. And, so, finally, I’m like, ‘What you doing, man? Get in line.’ … He’s like, ‘Nah, I’m counting.'”
Knowing that Rodman was a bit strange, Isiah didn’t bother asking him about what he was counting. Later when he saw Rodman still standing under the rim, watching everyone else, Isiah felt compelled to ask just what was he doing.
“I said, ‘What you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m counting. I’m counting the spins on the ball.’ He said, ‘When you shoot, your ball spin like three times. Joe’s (Dumars) sometimes spin four. This one spin.’ This dude was counting the rotations on the ball on every player. He knew how long it was going to be in the air, how many times it rotated, where it was gonna hit, where it would bounce. I had never seen nobody break down rebounding like that in my life. He was a genius, man. Dennis Rodman was a flat-out genius when it came to basketball.”
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Thomas was stunned to see how different Rodman’s thought process was. That knowledge is what allowed him to lead the league in rebounding for seven seasons in a row, which is an NBA record. Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn’t do it, but Rodman did.
In those seven seasons between 1991 and 1998, Rodman averaged a ridiculous 16.7 RPG. His career average of 13.1 RPG ranks 10th all-time, and it was great to get some insight into how he managed to have so much success. Perhaps some big men of today can take notes so that they can do a better job on the glass. Thomas also shared a hilarious Rodman story here regarding his dissection of the triangle offense.
Kevin Garnett Revealed How Hard Dennis Rodman Trained After Games
Knowing where the ball might be going is one thing, but you also need the athleticism and stamina to go and get it so many times during a game. Well, Rodman was a supreme athlete, and his stamina was downright ridiculous.
Kevin Garnett recounted an incident after a hard-fought game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls, where he had headed to the weight room to decompress. Rodman came into the room sometime later and hopped right onto the treadmill. Garnett hilariously said Rodman was running so fast as if he had just robbed the bank and had the cops after him! His stamina was what Garnett cherished the most, and Rodman truly was one of a kind.
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