Sophia Michaels
Dennis Rodman was the star of this week’s The Last Dance episodes, and as such it’s brought him back into the spotlight as a new generation is exposed to his exploits on and off the court.
The documetary itself was actually pretty tame when it came to exploring Rodman’s history. I was glad to see it offer a glimpse into the basketball genius he was, as he discussed how he worked to become the best rebounder in NBA history. It also touched on his off court antics, most notably his Vegas vacation that culminated in him not coming back on time and Michael Jordan dragging him to practice while Carmen Electra hid behind a couch.
The Last Dance isn’t just giving us great stories in the two hours it airs each Sunday, but it’s also leading to great stories being told on podcasts, radio, TV, and in print as players and media members from that era discuss what that team was like. The Rodman episodes have now brought out some great Rodman stories, like Carmen Electra saying they once went to the Bulls facility on an off day and “had sex all over the damn place.” His legendary partying has also come up, as Kendall Gill recalled a night out at a gentlemen’s club with Rodman in New York the night before the Nets played the Bulls in an appearance on the Bulls Talk podcast on NBC Sports.
“So, I end up leaving at about 12:30, which was kinda late for me, but I knew one of the girls there — actually I knew several of them. But one in particular, I said, ‘Listen, I’m gonna call you in the morning, I want to know what time Dennis left.’ So, I call her after shootaround and she goes, ‘He was there til 4, 5 in the morning.’ I was like, ‘Oh, he won’t be able to run with us tonight. We got him.’ So I got the scouting report, and I go back and I tell all of the fellas, ‘You know Dennis was hanging out,’ this and that.
“Dennis comes in that game, and I believe he had like 20 rebounds, man. Runs like a racehorse.”
It’s a tremendous story and is one that tracks with just about everything else that’s every been said about Dennis. He was an unbelievable athlete and an unbelievable partier, and somehow had the stamina to do both when most can’t. Rodman was, truly, one of a kind, and while the documentary touches on that, there are countless stories of Rodman that are both hard to believe and, when put all together, make total sense.
Written by: Uproxx
