Dennis Rodman is no stranger to weird and outrageous moments in his life. From being homeless as a teenager after being kicked out by his mother, to forming an unlikely friendship with Kim Jong Un, Rodman’s life has been anything but ordinary.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the top three most outrageous moments of Rodman’s playing career. We’ll focus solely on the outrageous moments that took place on the court. (Sorry, no Las Vegas escapades here!)
TOP NEWS
3. Rodman kicks Scottie Pippen in the face
Fans remember Rodman playing on the Chicago Bulls. ‘The Worm,’ as he was known, had bright colored hair and he was a rebounding machine. Without Rodman, the Bulls might not have clinched their three consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998.
Before Rodman teamed up with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, he was one of their biggest rivals. Rodman played for the Detroit Pistons, who were known as the “Bad Boys.”
The Pistons used to beat up the Bulls, literally. One physical moment that occurred between the two teams was when Rodman kicked Pippen in the face.
The funny thing is, Rodman was not called for a foul, nor did the Bulls call a timeout. Both teams just kept playing as Pippen lay on the floor, clearly out of it.
There’s no wonder Pippen didn’t talk to Rodman for six months after he joined the Bulls. Luckily, the two ended up squashing their beef, which led to those three titles in the late ’90s.
2. Rodman headbutts a referee
When Rodman joined the Chicago Bulls, the hope was that Jordan’s and head coach Phil Jackson’s leadership would be able to calm him down. This did not happen.
On March 16, 1996, the Bulls were playing the New Jersey Nets in New Jersey. In this game, Rodman was called for his second technical foul in the first quarter, which is an automatic ejection.
Rodman did not agree with the call and went to argue with referee Ted Bernhardt. In the heat of the moment, Rodman headbutted Bernhardt, despite Luc Longley’s efforts to de-escalate the situation.
Rodman took his jersey off and knocked over the Gatorade containers as he stormed off the court. This outburst led to Rodman being suspended for six games and fined $20,000 by the NBA.
After the game, Rodman spoke about the incident and he wasn’t feeling any regret about the headbutt.
“I’m sorry at the fact that I put my team in a bind. I’m not sorry at the fact that I have to lash out just to get the respect that I deserve,” Rodman said.
Rodman truly was a wildcard on the court for the Bulls. Ultimately, his behavior didn’t ruin Chicago’s season, as they still went on to win the title and a then-record 72 games in 1996
1. Rodman kicks a cameraman
The most outrageous moment of Rodman’s playing career occurred on January 15, 1997. The Bulls were in Minnesota playing the Timberwolves and Rodman lost his cool.
Rodman was struggling for a rebound against Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett when he fell out of bounds and tripped over a cameraman. This man, whose name is Eugene Amos, quickly turned the camera on to Rodman, to get a good view of the fallen player.
Frustrated, Rodman kicked Amos. The cameraman writhed in pain before being carried off on a stretcher several minutes later.
Despite the kick, Rodman was not thrown out of the game, nor did he receive a technical foul. After the game, however, he was suspended for 11 games, which cost him over $1 million.
Rodman was taken to court, resulting in the Bulls forward paying $200,000 to Amos. Later, Rodman spoke about the incident in an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
“It wasn’t that I was trying to kick the guy,” Rodman said. “I wasn’t trying to kick him. I was kicking, I’m frustrated, the camera that was on the floor. When I kicked him, I hit the camera and I hit him. It’s a damn shame we got people that the first thing that comes out of their mouth is ‘I want to sue you, I want your money’ and now his a** is in jail.”
There you have it, the top three most outrageous moments from Dennis Rodman’s NBA career. Did we get it right? Or is there another crazy on court moment from Rodman that should’ve made the list?
