Dennis Rodman is one of the most unique players to ever play in the NBA. Rodman earned his bread and butter by being incredibly amazing on defense. Even in defense, his specialty was to grab rebounds with perfection. It’s no surprise that he was recruited to the Chicago Bulls by Michael Jordan.
Rodman won three NBA Championships with the Bulls, but after the team broke up after the 1998 NBA title, Rodman decided to take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time, the Lakers were struggling to make a meaningful run in the postseason despite having the star duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the roster.
So adding Rodman seemed like a great decision, as he’d bring veteran leadership and an unmatched ability to rebound the ball to the table.
Dennis Rodman Hated Playing For The Los Angeles Lakers
Playing in one of the biggest markets in the league is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are many players who have failed to shine while donning the iconic Purple and Gold jersey. However, being amidst the highlight wasn’t Rodman’s problem. If anything, the Worm never got affected by being in the spotlight.
The biggest issue that Rodman faced when playing for the Lakers was adjusting to playing with a team full of young players. Considering he was previously a member of the legendary Chicago Bulls team, the environment was completely different when he played for the Lakers.
Rodman revealed his true thoughts about playing for the Lakers in a 2019 interview with HoopsHype.
Via HoopsHype:
I could deal with the fame, I could deal with the glamour, I could deal with the glory, and I could deal with the money, and stuff like that, but I just couldn’t deal with the fact that you had a bunch of young guys on that team was sitting there bitching, complaining, all the damn time. I wasn’t used to that. I wasn’t used to people coming in the locker room, being a b*tch, b*tching, doing this, b*tching in the locker room, b*tching on the bus, b*tching on the plane, I mean, ‘God Damn! Man, what the f*ck, what’d I get myself into?’ I’m used to people going on the bus, pissing and complaining about, ‘What sh*t, I could’ve played. Goddammit.’
Stuff like that, but that got to me, and I just took a break, and me and Jerry Buss went to Vegas. We played in Vegas at the MGM. We played cards, and then I came back. We won five out of nine games, and I got released because they said that I left my shoes at home, but that wasn’t the reason. And, Jerry Buss came to me and said, ‘Dennis, I knew nothing about that. I’m sorry, you know, I apologize. If I would have known that I would have stepped in.’
But, he said, ‘Whatever you do, Dennis, whatever you do for the rest of your life, I’m there for you. Whatever you need, you need me, I’m there for you.’ That’s why I love Jerry Buss, because he never forgets someone that he loves… Jeanie Buss, I love that whole family, but Jeanie, she’s just like her father, I love her.
As we mentioned earlier, prior to joining the Lakers, Rodman was part of the legendary Chicago Bulls. So the transition from a team full of experienced players to a team with comparatively younger stars was pretty tough for Rodman. As a result, he played only a single season with the Lakers and ended up joining the Dallas Mavericks the next season.
