Besides reminding us all of just how truly special Michael Jordan was, ESPN's 10 Part documentary series The Last Dance also fiercely reminded us that Dennis Rodman is probably the most outrageous character in NBA history.
The two-time defensive player of the year and seven time NBA leader in rebounds was a crucial part of five different NBA championship teams during his career. He also capturEd the world's attention with his outlandish personality and off the court antics. The Last Dance of course highlighted his 48 hour excursion in Las Vegas with Carmen Electra during the season, and fellow hardcore gambler Michael Jordan having to track him down and bring him back to practice. I hope you're reading this Hollywood because that's your next great movie right there.
The final two episodes also brought back to light the time Rodman skipped a media session DURING the 1998 Finals and instead flew out to appear on WCW with the New World Order. In honor of these stories I thought it was time to recap some of the most outrageous Dennis Rodman moments.
Note: since this and the documentary already touched on NWO and the Vegas Excursion I will be leaving those moments out of my Top 5.
1. Best Buds with Kim Jong Un
Maybe he truly believed that he could help the United State's Nuclear Relations with North Korea. Maybe it was all just a strangely, right on brand, publicity stunt, or maybe it was just Rodman being Rodman. Okay yeah that makes more sense. Either way, it's not quite clear why or how Rodman became so close with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and we'll probably never know. That's probably for the best though, as with most Rodman cases it's likely to be something that only he himself could understand.
2. When He Pretended To Marry Himself?
Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction. In 1996, in an effort to promote his memoir "Bad As I Wanna Be" Rodman claimed that he was bisexual and that he was marrying himself. In one of several occasions that the Hall of Famer went full drag queen, Rodman donned a custom made wedding dress made in France. He then rode a horse drawn carriage down Fifth Avenue to a Barnes and Nobles for a book signing event and declared that he was getting married to...Dennis Rodman. "Bad As I Wanna Be" skyrocketed up the New York Times Bestsellers list and remained at the top for twenty weeks. Eccentric madman or marketing genius?
3. Accidentally Broadcasting An Orgy From The Hamptons.
Thankfully, and almost surprisingly, there's no pictures online linked to this event and I'm not sure if I really want to do an image search for orgies and end up on some sort of contact list. I don't know how these things work, I'm not an orgy guy, but I assume the orgy crowd must have some way of finding new people to participate in said orgies and it's best not to take chances. Anyways in 2010 Rodman "accidentally" broadcasted the sounds of him having sex with about six different woman. He had been making drunken Rodman statements into a cordless microphone throughout a night of partying and "forgot" to turn it off before going upstairs with the women. Because Dennis Rodman does what Dennis Rodman does.
4. When He Head-Butted A Referee
Described by Rod Thorn at the time as "chaos" it's now something we really just chalk up to Rodman being Rodman. In 1996, unhappy about a particular foul called against him Rodman got in the referee's face and in a fit of rage head butted the official. Obviously ejected from the game, Rodman subsequently went on a tirade, ripping off his jersey and knocking over the water coolers as he stormed off the court. Probably the best part of this entire sequence is the fact that Phil Jackson found it all absolutely hilarious, because Phil knew that it was just Rodman being Rodman.
5. Crashing A Pearl Jam Concert
Well there's actually several instances of this, as Rodman is possibly the worlds biggest Pearl Jam fan. This is due to his public comments and crediting one of their songs for snapping him out of his suicidal funk in the early nineties. Perhaps the most bizarre of these times was as recently as 2018 during a performance at Chicago's Wrigley Field. Rodman burst onto the stage to present frontman Eddie Vedder with a ukulele. Again, instead of asking "why a ukulele?" and going further down the rabbit hole, I just chalk this up as Rodman being Rodman. Naturally, Rodman took the mic to talk about his friendship with Kim Jong Un and to promise the people of Chicago that when he dies, he will be buried in Chicago. Because I'm sure the question all the concertgoers that night were asking themselves is "where will Dennis Rodman be buried?"
Honorable mentions: the "Fucking Mormoms" incident, the 34 rebound game and headbutting the Spurs mascot "to make things more entertaining"