“A Man Can’t Make You Be a Man”: Despite Wrinkled Relationship with Father, NBA Icon Dennis Rodman Got Candid on Managing without Him in 1997

Dennis Rodman carved out a legendary career in the NBA with a lot of success. In the 14 years he played in the league, he managed to become arguably the best defender in the league. Rodman won five championships in his career, two with the Detroit Pistons, and a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. He stood out among the rest in the league for his tattoos and piercings. Rodman’s activities, both on and off the court, made him one of the most notoriously remembered players in the NBA.

Everyone expects NBA players to have a decent life, which Rodman may have now. But it wasn’t the case with him early in his childhood.

Dennis Rodman faced a lot of hardships in his childhood. When he was young, his father, Philander Rodman, Jr., left the family and got settled in the Philippines. His mother, Shirley, had to take up multiple jobs to make ends meet. Shirley raised him and his two sisters, Debra and Kim, in Dallas. However, Rodman finally met his father in 2012 after 42 years.

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Shirley raised Rodman as a single mother. The ‘Worm’ managed his childhood without his father and that makes his story of success more amazing. He once revealed what it meant for him to grow up without a father.

Dennis Rodman once discussed managing himself without his father

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman appeared for an interview with Playboy magazine in 1997. During the interview, he discussed his childhood, NBA career, Michael Jordan, among other things related to his life. He was also asked about managing his life without a father.

To this Rodman replied: “I got used to it. Anyway, a man can’t make you be a man. You have to do that yourself. You figure out that life is unpredictable and complicated and that you may not be happy. That’s when you become a man..”

NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman met his estranged father after 42 years in the Philippines. He had gone to the Philippines in 2012 to take part in an exhibition game. The former Bulls star had visited the country back in 2006 as well, but declined to meet his father at that time.

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Rodman had visited the Philippines in 2012 as a part of the NBA Alumni team that played an exhibition game against former Philippines professional stars. The NBA Alumni team also included Scott Pippen, Horace Grant, and Mitch Richmond.