Can't ignore Rodman's stats—or shenanigans
Rodman believes he belongs in Hall
By Vincent M. Mallozzi
New York Times
February 11, 2007, 10:15 PM CST
Dennis Rodman has played a lot of roles in his life. He has twice been an NBA All-Star and defensive player of the year. He also has been a bridegroom and a bride. He has been an author, an actor, a corporate spokesman and a full-time enigma.
Rodman who won five championships during a tumultuous 14-year NBA career filled with as much controversy as glory, would like to add another title to his résumé: Hall of Famer.
"Getting into the Hall of Fame would be something very special," Rodman said recently. "I don't think it would mean as much to me as it would to all the people who brought me up, like my mother, my college coaches and Chuck Daly and Phil Jackson, who were both like a father to me. It would also mean the world to my wife and children."
One of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, Rodman retired after playing 12 games for the Dallas Mavericks in the 1999-2000 season. In his prime, he won championships with Daly's Detroit Pistons in 1989 and '90 and three more with Jackson's Bulls in 1996-98.
But what Rodman accomplished on the court, including his seven rebounding titles and his seven-time selection as an NBA all-defensive first-team player, was often overshadowed by his antics. The 6-foot-7-inch, 228-pound Rodman had a nose ring for the ball, a pierced navel and a bleached head that was not always in the game.
The list of Rodman's disciplinary problems is almost as long as the wingspan that helped him soar for 11,954 regular-season rebounds. As a result, Rodman and his agent, Darren Prince, say that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is keeping its distance.
Prince contacted John Doleva, president and chief executive of the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. But Doleva told Prince that Rodman was ineligible for nomination because he had played professionally since retiring from the NBA.
In the last six years, Rodman has played in the new American Basketball Association, the International Basketball League and in Finland, Britain and Mexico. Prince asked why the Hall was holding the ABA and leagues abroad against Rodman. Doleva replied: "Professional basketball is not defined specifically as the NBA."
Though Rodman will eventually be nominated to the Hall of Fame, he is not sure if he will be elected. His lifestyle aside, there is another obstacle for him to clear on the path to Springfield. A power forward who averaged only 7.3 points a game.
"Was Bill Russell too one-dimensional?" said Rodman, 45. "Russell wasn't a scorer, but he won 11 championships."
Rodman measured his qualifications against contemporaries like Charles Barkley (inducted last year), Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and John Stockton.
"They were all great players, but they never won a championship," Rodman said. "So if you're going to judge me, judge me the same way, for what I brought to the table in terms of basketball, and forget all the other stuff."
Former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen said a Hall of Fame vote for Rodman would be a no-brainer.
"The Hall of Fame is not built on offense, it's built on greatness, and Dennis was one of the greatest I've ever played with," Pippen said. "Maybe you could have made the argument before he joined the Bulls that he didn't have the credentials. But with our team, night in and night out, he proved his greatness … In my mind, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer."
Isiah Thomas, who played with Rodman on two Detroit title teams, agreed.
"There is no question in my mind that Dennis belongs in the Hall of Fame," he said. "He gave credibility to being a rebounder. He made it a job, that before him, no one really wanted."
Rodman dated Madonna and married Carmen Electra. He kicked a cameraman during a nationally televised game, dressed in a bridal gown to promote his first book and was arrested twice. He once said that Larry Bird would be just another player if he weren't white.
"One of the things I'm most looking forward to is how I will dress on the day I make my Hall of Fame acceptance speech," Rodman said. "But if it never happens, I'll be more than satisfied with all of my championship rings and all the great memories that went with it."
