Dennis Rodman: 28 Years of Unbridled Craziness
Rodman is drafted out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a school that doesn’t even play at the NCAA Division 1 level. But he was so good that the Detroit Pistons took a chance on him. He quickly became known for his defensive style, rebounding ability and intensity. He became a key part of the Piston’s “Bad Boys” teams, known as much for their physical play as their back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. His nickname? The Worm.
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Rodman was traded to the San Antonio Spurs and things started to get weird. He began to shave his head before games, dying it a series of different colors. In 1994, he had a high-profile but short-lived affair with Madonna. Then, in 1995, after refusing to play and being suspended for a total of 19 games, he separated his shoulder in a motorcycle accident, which limited him to 49 games for the entire season.
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Rodman is traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won three straight championships. Rodman remained a spectacular rebounder and a defensive hound, but he still courted controversy, most notably when he kicked a cameraman in the crotch after tripping over him during a game in 1997. In 1996, Rodman wrote an autobiography, As Bad As I Want to Be, in which he proclaimed his bisexuality. He showed up at a New York book signing in a wedding dress, announcing he was marrying himself. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1999 and retired shortly after.
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He starred alongside Jean Claude Van Damme in Double Team, a movie that was so fantastically bad it earned a sequel, Simon Sez, in 1999. During this time, Rodman also dabbled in professional wrestling, fighting alongside Hulk Hogan. In 1997, it’s revealed in Men in Black that Rodman is an alien.
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After retiring, Rodman was involved in a number of different ventures. He was named commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005. He entered a wife-marrying contest in Finland that same year. He also published a second autobiography, I Should Be Dead By Now, and showed up in a coffin to promote it.
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Rodman is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, cementing his place as one of the best defenders and rebounders in NBA history.
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Rodman makes his first trip to North Korea. He calls Un, who is a big Rodman fan, a “friend for life.”
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Rodman makes a second trip to North Korea.
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During an appearance on CNN, Rodman explodes at host Chris Cuomo when Cuomo questioned him on whether he should make a high-profile trip to a country with a laundry list of human rights abuses. Rodman showed himself to be ignorant of these abuses, as well as the imprisonment of Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts.” North Korea has never said what those acts are
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Rodman participates in an exhibition game with former NBA players. He serenades Un with Happy Birthday.
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