Chicago

Chicago

Bulls

	Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961, in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American former professional basketball player best known for his defensive and rebounding ability, leading the National Basketball Association in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times. He is the all-time leader in rebound rate and is generally regarded as the greatest offensive rebounder of all-time. He is also well-known for his controversial antics on and off the court. He has been featured in several television and film roles. When Rodman entered the NBA Draft in 1986, he was officially listed at 6'8" while playing one of the most physical positions in basketball at power forward. Although some will say his height was probably closer 6'6 1/2. Despite often being matched at a height disadvantage, he became one of the most dominant rebounders in NBA history, and was also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Chicago Bulls career Prior the 1995-96 season, Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue and cash considerations, in order to fill a large void at power forward left by Horace Grant, who left the Bulls prior to the 1994-95 season. In his book "Bad As I Wanna Be," Rodman stated that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had to approve the trade before it took place. Rodman chose the number 91 (9+1=10 according to Rodman for why he chose that number) for his jersey since the number 10 jersey was retired by the Bulls after the 1994-1995 season in honor of Bob Love. The Bulls, with Rodman and Michael Jordan's return from retirement improved 25 games from the previous year's 47-35 record to an NBA record 72-10 regular season finish in the 1995-96 season. Later, in the playoffs, the Bulls easily made their way to the NBA Finals and the NBA championship. Rodman, Jordan, and Scottie Pippen all made the All-Defensive First Team, the first time three players from the same team made it on the first team. Rodman led the league in rebounding for the fifth straight year, and Jordan won the scoring title, the second time that team-mates had led the league in scoring and rebounding. They would repeat in 1997 and 1998 as the team three-peated for the second time in the decade. Rodman became a fan favorite for his behavior and would also take his jersey off and toss it to a fan, if he ever fouled out or was ejected from a game. Rodman was known for his shocking behavior on the court, including his head butt of referee Ted Bernhardt during a game in New Jersey on March 16, 1996. On January 15, 1997, Rodman was involved in another notorious incident during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin. Though he was not assessed a technical foul at the time, Rodman ultimately paid Amos a $200,000 settlement, and the league suspended Rodman for 11 games. Despite his behavior, Rodman was for the most part kept under control by coach Phil Jackson and Jordan during his time in Chicago. Rodman left Chicago after the 1997-98 season as the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase. He also finished his last major season, as he would only have brief stints with other NBA teams. Rodman was the premier rebounder of the 1990s with seven straight titles, and matched up defensively with players ranging from Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, to Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, and Charles Barkley. One of his most impressive feats came during the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, when Rodman shut down former Bull 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 235 lb (107 kg) Horace Grant and helped contain the 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 330 lb (150 kg) O'Neal, key to the Bulls' eventual sweep of the defending Eastern Conference champs. He also was credited for being able to shut down Karl Malone during both Finals series against the Utah Jazz and for breaking down center Frank Brickowski psychologically during the Finals series against the Seattle Supersonics. Perhaps Rodman's most impressive feat came in the 1996 NBA Finals, when he pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in both Games 2 and 6 against the Seattle SuperSonics, tying the all-time Finals record.