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Quicknation Dennis Rodman
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Dennis Rodman (born May 13, 1961 in Trenton, New JerseyDennis Rodman is a former professional basketball player known for his defense and rebounding ability, and for his controversial antics on and off the court.
When he entered the NBA in 1986, he was listed as 6' 8" (2.03 m), although some say he was actually 6' 6" (1.98 m). Rodman played one of the most physical positions in basketball at power forward, and despite giving up as much as half a foot in some matchups, was considered perhaps the top rebounder of his generation, and one of the best defenders at his position. His nicknames were Pre-NBA and amateur career Rodman, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, was far from a basketball prospect in high-school; he only became one when he grew 11 inches (27 cm) in one year, late in his teenage years. After a stint at Cooke County College in Gainesville, Texas, he played for Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school. There, he was a good scorer as well as a good rebounder. Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons took sufficient notice of him to select him in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft. At that time, the Pistons were an up-and-coming team led by Isiah Thomas at point guard, Joe Dumars at shooting guard, and Bill Laimbeer at center. They had notable role players in Adrian Dantley, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, and Rick Mahorn. Rodman's intensity was a perfect fit for a team known for its rough of play and tenacious defense. The Pistons were knocked out of the playoffs in 1987 by their nemesis Boston Celtics, although Rodman did a decent job of guarding their star player, Larry Bird. In 1988 Rodman seemed to show even more star potential, crashing the boards more and defending better than before. In 1989 he was finally recognized for his work by being named Defensive Player of the Year, the first of two straight. He finished second to Laimbeer in rebounding on the team, and helped the Pistons put away the young Chicago Bulls for the second straight year as they won their first NBA championship. The following year was almost identical, with the Pistons beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals again, winning their second straight championship, and Rodman again winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Pistons also posted a franchise-high 63 wins during the regular season. In 1991 the Pistons were jolted when they were swept by the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. Rodman led the team in rebounding, but it wasn't enough. Rodman would have to raise his level of play, and he did. In 1992, Rodman was phenomenal, averaging over 18 rebounds a game as he won the first of seven straight rebounding titles. In one game, he achieved his amazing career high 34 total rebounds. Rodman didn't overpower or outreach opponents. Instead, he used an almost scientific approach to calculate how the ball would ricochet off the basket to be in prime position to grab it. 1993 was Rodman's second top rebounding season, but his last with the Pistons. One night late in the 1992-1993 season, he was found sitting in his pickup truck with a loaded shotgun in the Pistons parking lot. Rodman claimed in one of his two autobiographies that that night was when he killed the old Dennis and let the new Dennis emerge. In the offseason he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Sean Elliott. San Antonio Spurs In San Antonio, Rodman continued his glass-cleaning expertise, and allowed center David Robinson to focus more on scoring, as Robinson won the scoring title. It marked the first time that teammates won both the scoring and rebounding title, but it wouldn't be the last for Rodman. The following season, Rodman helped San Antonio to their best season in franchise history with 62 wins, and they made it to the Western Conference finals. However, his increasingly erratic off-court life, including a brief but heavily-publicized relationship with Madonna, and on-court antics, such as dying his hair, proved too much for the Spurs. The last straw was when he failed to arrive with the rest of the team for the critical fifth game of the conference finals. In the offseason, Rodman was dealt to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue in order to fill a large hole at power forward left by Horace Grant. The Bulls, with Rodman and the return from retirement of Michael Jordan, improved 25 games, from 47 to an NBA record 72 victories. 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 teammates had led the league in scoring and rebounding. They would repeat in '97 and '98 as the team three-peated for the second time in the decade. Rodman left Chicago after the season as the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase. He also finished his last major season, as he would only have brief stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. Rodman was the premier rebounder of the nineties 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. His most impressive feat was during the '96 Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, when the 6 ft 8 in, 210 pound (95 kg) Rodman shut down the 6 ft 10 in, 235 pound (107 kg) Horace Grant and helped contain the 7 ft 1 in, 330 pound (150 kg) O'Neal, key to the Bulls' eventual sweep of the defending Eastern Conference champs. Post-Bulls career After his stint with the Bulls, Rodman became a journeyman, briefly joining the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, creating more controversy than actually contributing. After a long break, he is currently playing for the Tijuana Dragons of the newly-formed ABA. Rodman is known for his controversial behavior and outlandish appearance; notoriously prone to cursing in public or on live television during his playing career, he sported numerous tattoos and piercings, and frequently dyed his hair a bright, artificial color long before such a look became commonplace. Rodman was also briefly married to Carmen Electra, and famously wore a wedding dress at a public appearance to promote his autobiography . He was the winner of the Yucatan edition of Celebrity Mole, shocking many since he did not take a single note while participating on the show. Professional wrestling Rodman wrestled a few matches for World Championship Wrestling and was a member of the nWo with Hollywood Hogan. His first match was at Bash At the Beach '97 on July 13, 1997. He teamed with Hogan and lost to Lex Luger and The Giant. At Bash At the Beach '98 on July 12, 1998, Rodman Diamond Dallas Page. His 3rd and last match was on August 14, 1999 at Road Wild when he lost to Randy Savage. He raised the ire of wrestling management as he frequently "no showed" several dates in which he was intended to promote the PPV bouts. Also, in his second bout, he appeared to be inebriated. Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst New Star, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple (shared with Van Damme). Since then he has appeared in very few acting roles outside of playing himself.Rodman World Tour In the mid 1990s, Rodman had his own reality show called "The Rodman World Tour." Recent actions Rodman has been present or participated in at least two different contests in Finland in 2005. In the summer, he was present at Sonkajärvi in a wife-carrying contest, but he resigned from the contest due to health problems. On November 6, 2005, he played one match with the Torpan Pojat, playing against the Tapiolan Honka. He played 28 minutes, scored 17 points, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Fifteen of his 17 points were made behind the 3-point line, with a total of 13 attempts from beyond the arc. Rodman's presence drew a Finnish National League record crowd of 7,420 people to Helsinki Ice Hockey Dome. Rodman was named as Commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005 and is scheduled to appear in the Lingerie Bowl III show on February 5, 2006. In January 2006, Rodman appeared on in the UK. He entered the house at approximately 22:00hrs on 5th January. He took into the house with him a pack of "extra large" condoms and did not pack any underwear. During one of the tasks in the house where the housemates had to rank themselves and the others in order of fame, Rodman was put second to the British former comedian and comic quiz show host Michael Barrymore. He disagreed with this, saying that he should have been ranked number one out of all the housemates. He struck up an unlikely romantic liaison with Faria Alam, but it was short-lived and ended after Alam was voted out. Rodman was the 5th housemate evicted from the house. On 26th January 2006, it was announced [1] that Rodman had signed a one-game "experiment" deal for the UK basketball side Brighton Bears to play Guildford Heat on the 28th January. If successful, the Bears have an option on further matches. |
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