The latest episodes of ESPN's “The Last Dance” documentary painted a clear picture of the legend that is Dennis Rodman.
We’ve had a lot of memorable characters in the NBA over the years, but no one has ever come close to the notoriety that “The Worm” achieved throughout his 14-year career.
Rodman was simply an enigma on and off the court. A polarizing yet bizarre individual whose exploits seem too good to be true.
He possessed a unique skill set on the hardwood, using his inborn tenacity to corral rebounds at a high rate and pester the best offensive players with his beast-like defense.
Off the floor, Rodman engaged in eccentric behavior rarely (if not at all) seen from professional athletes. Let's take a look back at some of Dennis Rodman's most controversial moments.
Marrying himself
Rodman has made plenty of outrageous decisions throughout his life. This one, however, certainly takes the cake.
Rodman came out as bisexual in 1996 and decided to marry himself. The NBA’s notorious bad boy even wore a wedding dress to celebrate the absurd union. Although it was more of a publicity stunt for his upcoming book at the time, Rodman revealed he earned $10 million for the stunt.
Giving a cameraman a kick in the nuts
It’s not unusual for players to exchange verbal tirades with in-game officials even in today’s game. But Rodman took that up a notch when he forcefully kicked an unsuspecting cameraman in the nether region in 1997.
The incident happened after “The Worm” tripped over Eugene Amos during a match versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rodman was suspended by the league for 11 games and had to shell out $200,000 following a settlement with Amos.
Rendezvous with Carmen Electra and Madonna
Rodman’s infamy grew further when he shacked up with the insatiable Carmen Electra in 1998. His marriage with the Baywatch star, however, only lasted nine days.
In her brief appearance in “The Last Dance,” Electra described her relationship with Rodman as an “occupational hazard”.
Prior to that, Rodman also had another publicized fling with megastar Madonna in 1994. Dennis later hilariously revealed that he thinks her music sucks, but he said they could have been married had they stayed together.
Pro-wrestling stint
A lot of professional athletes had been venturing to pro-wrestling nowadays. Rodman, however, looked like he belonged there when he became an honorary member of the New World Order composed of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in 1997. He even returned to the ring a year later and had a match with his heated rival Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach in 1998.
Calling Bird ‘overrated’
Rodman got political when he thrashed NBA icon Larry Bird in 1987. Rodman was still with the Pistons at the time and they often had heated encounters with Bird’s Boston Celtics.
The uncouth forward claimed that Larry Legend was “overrated in a lot of areas” and only won multiple MVPs “because he's white”.
Headbutting a referee
Apart from kicking cameraman, Rodman also got extremely physical with a referee. After getting ejected in a game in 1996, the two-time DPOY winner vented his ire by head butting an official.
Dennis has had a history of literally using his head when he gets frustrated, even head butting players like John Stockton and Stacey King while he was with the San Antonio Spurs.
Friendship with Kim Jong-un
Even upon retirement, Rodman continues to hog headlines for often ridiculous reasons. Perhaps his weirdest conquest was his unlikely relationship with North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un.
The pair’s bond was filmed in the documentary “Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in Pyongyang,” in which the five-time NBA champion personally went to North Korea and played a basketball game for Kim in 2013.
Dennis Rodman is probably the last person anyone can think of in terms of bridging the gap between America and the mysterious communist leader. Then again, both individuals are rather unique in their own way, which could have led to their mutual understanding.
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