Rodman, Dennis (1961-…), ranks among the greatest rebounders and defensive players in professional basketball history. Rodman also became one of the most colorful and controversial athletes in American sports. He colored his hair for every game and covered much of his body with tattoos. His aggressive, sometimes reckless playing style during some games earned him frequent technical fouls and a number of suspensions by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Dennis Keith Rodman was born on May 13, 1961, in Trenton, New Jersey. He did not play basketball in high school. Rodman attended junior college in 1982 and 1983 and then played for Southeastern Oklahoma State University from 1983 to 1986. The Detroit Pistons drafted him in the second round of the 1986 draft. Rodman quickly established himself as a dominating rebounder and defensive player. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive team eight times and was voted Defensive Player of the Year twice.
Rodman played on the Detroit teams that won the NBA championships in 1989-1990 and 1990-1991. He was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1993. He played for San Antonio for two seasons and then was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1995. He was a part of the Bulls dynasty that won three consecutive NBA championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. He played briefly for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999 and for the Dallas Mavericks in 2000. Rodman led the NBA in average rebounds per game seven consecutive seasons, beginning with the 1991-1992 season. Rodman wrote two autobiographies, Rebound: The Dennis Rodman Story (1994) and Bad As I Wanna Be (1996). He was featured in the action motion picture Double Team (1997). In 2011, Rodman was voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rodman also gained widespread attention for his flamboyant behavior off the court. He wore bizarre clothes and often received national publicity for taking part in unusual incidents in public places. In 2013, he began a series of visits to North Korea, where he had controversial meetings with the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
