Dennis Rodman is the ultimate superstar. He played in the NBA Finals, and then he could go party with Carmen Electra. He could go from playing with Michael Jordan to — literally — star in wrestling matches.
Rodman’s larger-than-life personality has always made him steal the spotlight wherever he’s gone. But it’s not like he had it easy growing up, long before he became The Worm.
The Chicago Bulls legend was an erratic young man with no clear direction. Even his mother kicked him out of his house, and as much as he resented him for that, he once claimed he understood why she did it.
Dennis Rodman Thanks Mom In Epic Speech
“Last but not least, [I thank] my mother, Shirley Rodman,” Rodman said in his Hall of Fame induction speech. “I would love to set the record straight and I’m sorry it has to be on this main stage here. Me and my mother have never got along and I was a very good kid when I was young. Once I became the age of 16, 18, 19, and 20, I could care less what I did to my mother.“
“And my mother worked three jobs. And she kicked me out of the house and said, ‘You gonna have to leave her because I can’t take you anymore.’ And I resented her for a long time. And it’s hard for me to even say it,” he continued.
“Because my mother rarely ever hugged me or hugged my siblings. She didn’t know how. But she managed. She worked her a** off,” the legendary rebounder added.
Rodman is a complicated man, and chances are we will never get to fully understand him. But he’s way more simple, human, and emotional than one would think.