Acclaimed Sports Author Describes Dennis Rodman's NBA Career As 'Epic Story'

For long-time NBA fans, the name of Dennis Rodman would be synonymous with monster rebounding done by a person staggered with tattoos and different hair colors.

All this started after his stint with the Detroit Pistons, and only a few were able to get close to the five-time NBA champion.

Renowned book author Roland Lazenby, who has written over five dozen non-fiction books about basketball and football, gave some interesting tidbits about Dennis Rodman when he appeared in a year-ender episode on Sports Bytes PH hosted by Brian Yalung and Aldrin Magnaye.

The 69-year-old author was quizzed by Magnaye about Rodman, and Lazenby shared bits that most may not be aware of.

Through it all, the American journalist shared how the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year transformed from a budding young player into a controversial figure.

“He was a delight to watch before he was anybody. Dennis was just a delight. I remember standing in the locker room after game 4 in 1989, the Pistons had just swept a badly injured Lakers team,” Lazenby recalled.

“And I said to him, ‘Dennis? People are saying you are the best rebounder in the league.’ And he goes ‘Really? Gosh! The best rebounder in the league?’ He was just this pure spirit. He would run through a wall for Chuck Daly, his coach. You know, he didn’t even play high school basketball. Dennis Rodman is one of the great stories… also one of the great tragedies,” he added.

But from there, most know how things changed for Rodman after his time with the Pistons.

Lazenby described it perfectly in what turned out to be the 6-foot-7’s ticket to fame and controversy.

“[In 1994] he suddenly sprouted those tattoos. It was like he was beamed up in a spaceship from his Pistons days and suddenly the spaceship pulled up and beamed him down to San Antonio. And this was before tattoos took over American culture,” Lazenby explained. “Dennis was sort of a trendsetter and he was running around with Madonna. And he’s throwing away all that money in Vegas and is absolutely, absolutely broke.”

“Jerry Krause suddenly gets this idea. Actually, Jim Stack, Krause’s assistant got the idea. He told Krause that ‘We need Dennis here,’” he continued. “Krause went: ‘Brilliant!’ And he went out and here comes bankrupt Dennis. He puts on a wedding dress, he does all this crazy s**t in Chicago, and they just go nuts.”

Lazenby went on to stress that none of his revelations was exaggerated.

“Dennis was not Mr. Hollywood. He loved Hollywood, hanging with Madonna, but as a person he was real. And so his story is an epic story,” the author stated.