Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas made an appearance in Southfield, Michigan on Monday to promote his new beverage, Champagne Cheurlin. During the event, the legendary point guard lamented the fact that he wasn't able to help Dennis Rodman as much as he would've liked.
From humble beginnings, Rodman went on to establish himself as one of the greatest rebounding forwards the NBA has ever known. However, as his career in the league progressed, The Worm began fighting several internal demons, including alcohol abuse — a fact that bothered Thomas:
“All of us who knew Dennis, he was a guy who never drank, never did drugs. He was a gentle, innocent soul,” Thomas said. “Watching him over the years, going through his battles with abusing alcohol and the things he went through, you wanted to help him and we couldn't help because we were no longer together.”
With the Bad Boy Pistons, Thomas and Rodman won two NBA titles (1989-1990). Dennis joined the San Antonio Spurs for two season after that, then it was on to Chicago, where his eccentric lifestyle came to its truest fruition.
Though they were no longer teammates, Thomas says he knew Rodman was struggling:
“The Dennis that we were watching, I knew that the places he was at weren't giving him the unconditional love that he was looking for,” Thomas said. “There was a crying out for help and I just felt like there was nobody helping.”
Rodman's lavish lifestyle became popular news, and his choice of wardrobe was often a topic of discussion. In the end, though, it seems Thomas always knew the real Dennis.
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