Published 10/22/2022, 8:30 PM EDT
NBA all-time great Dennis Rodman is one of the most popular athletes during his prime. He is still popular even though he has been retired for years now. His displays on the court and his off-the-court antics are one of the huge reasons for his popularity. The spotlight followed wherever he went and whatever he did. After initial struggles in life and being homeless, Rodman lived his life the way he wanted to live. Even if he knew some of his decisions could hamper his future, he did not care.
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Rodman came from very humble beginnings. His father was not around and he was raised by his mother and his sisters. He did not even play high school basketball. When he was found to have stolen watches from shops at the airport, he was arrested. Since the officials found the watches, he was just put in the airport jail. His mother Shirley Rodman did not take this lightly and kicked him out of the house.
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So Rodman became homeless after high school and worked as a janitor. Then a mindboggling growth spurt of 8 inches helped him get basketball scholarships.
Dennis Rodman was not worried about the future
After three years of college basketball, Dennis Rodman declared for the NBA draft. The Detroit Pistons selected him as the 27th overall pick. After initial struggles, he became one of the most versatile and best defenders in the league. Rodman recently revealed he was “well-mannered” during his initial years in the league.
He admitted he became “rebellious” after the Pistons made some changes to the team. His off-the-court antics became a huge concern for the team management wherever he played. Also, it was putting a hole in his pocket. However, he knew about it and wasn’t worried about it as well.
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“Dennis said, ‘I know that I’ll crash. The money will be gone, the fame will be gone. But in my heart, I’ll know that I lived the way I wanted to live. And I’m okay. I had nothing before and I’ll end up with nothing,’ “ said writer Michael Silver.
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He was right about that. After earning millions from NBA salary and endorsement deals, Rodman lost everything. During a court hearing, his lawyers disclosed the five-time NBA champion was broke.
However, his popularity was not gone even though it was not as much as in his prime years. This helped him slowly get back on his feet with appearances on TV shows, podcasts, etc. As per reports, Rodman now has a net worth of $500,000.