‘Highlights’ of a Bad Boy

Because of The Last Dance, we all remember the story about Rodman taking off for two-day bender to escape the pressure and stress of playing in the NBA Finals. And he probably needed a break from Michael Jordan for a while, if we’re honest. But Rodman also took another detour during that same series. The night after a Game 3 victory for the Bulls over the Utah Jazz, Rodman turned up on WCW Monday Nitro in a segment with the NWO. To Rodman’s credit, he did return in time for Game 4 of the finals and played great, grabbing 14 rebounds.

Some of you may have heard about or even remember Rodman and pop artist Madonna dating briefly in the ’90s. But it wasn’t until much later that the story came out about them discussing having a baby together. Imagine the spawn of Madonna and Dennis Rodman. She must have had it bad to call Rodman and make a baby proposal.

In 1997, Rodman was involved in an incident where he kicked a photographer square in the groin area. I’m not talking about his stomach either. While diving out of bounds for a loose ball, Rodman tripped over a seated photographer. Rodman immediately turned to the bewildered cameraman and booted him right in the balls out of anger and frustration.

This might be shocking if it were anyone else, but posing nude seems to fall right in line with Dennis’ image. Rodman was a spokesperson for a PETA campaign titled, I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur. I’m pretty sure Rodman has been seen in public wearing fur at some point. Maybe it was faux fur? At least his heart was in the right place this time.

Does anyone remember the 1997 movie Double Team starring Rodman alongside 90s action star Jean-Claude Van Damme? If you don’t recall this film or haven’t seen it, consider yourself lucky. Talk about some of the worst reviews imaginable. The movie got an 11 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Rodman’s performance was so poor he won Razzies for “worst new star” and “worst supporting actor” in a film.

Yes, Mr. Rodman has even figured out how to worm his way onto networks that mainly deal with politicians. During an interview on CNN, Rodman lashed out at host Chris Cuomo over a question about his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Cuomo asked if Rodman would speak to Jong-un on behalf of Kenneth Bae’s family, as Bae was imprisoned in North Korea, charged with trying to overthrow the country. Rodman did not appreciate Cuomo’s question and went off on a noticeably intoxicated tirade. Rodman did later apologize and admit to being inebriated during the interview.

Before New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams donned a wedding dress on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, Rodman did it three years earlier. Rodman put on the wedding dress to marry himself and promote his autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be.

Rodman has twice been arrested for domestic violence and was charged for spousal battery in Los Angeles for brandishing a deadly weapon. This is the worst of all Rodman’s looks over the years, as these incidents should never be taken lightly.

Last on this list is Rodman’s failure to relaunch during his “comeback” attempt of 2003. A plan that was doomed to fail from the beginning, Rodman planned a comeback at age 45. His three-year journey is documented in what basically became another publicity stunt for the worm on his mapped-out expedition back to the NBA.