Earning Millions in Endorsements, Dennis Rodman Almost Lost Out on $2 Million Contract Due to Infamous Incident in 1997: ?I Thought We Were Done?

Arguably one of the most controversial figures in the league’s history, Dennis Rodman has constantly remained under scrutiny for one reason or the other. The NBA legend has had his fair share of controversies at the peak of his career and faced the consequences accordingly. All those things were what made Rodman ‘Dennis the Menace’. One such instance was when Rodman almost bid goodbye to a contract worth $2 million following an incident that almost cost the NBA legend his career.

Dennis Rodman is known to have the type of character that could be described as ‘whimsical’. However, he was also a popular athlete, earning about $9 million just from endorsements. The five-time NBA champion was all about parties and creating a stir in the media. Many of his controversial actions were relatively easier to deal with. However, this one incident had Rodman’s manager biting his nails.

Dennis Rodman unknowingly sabotages a million-dollar deal

In an 1997 interview with Sports Illustrated, Rodman’s agent and business manager Dwight Manley talked about the aftermath of the infamous courtside incident. Yes, that involved Rodman kicking a cameraman during a Chicago Bulls game. According to Manley, it was the first time he had felt the pressure as Rodman’s business manager.

Manley said, “The repercussions of anything he’d done before were a pittance compared to what was at stake this time.”

Manley was used to cleaning up the mess after the two-time NBA All-Star’s mishaps. However, this particular issue caused Manley to break a sweat. Prior to the incident, the Bulls legend’s manager had previously arranged a meeting with the CEO of Converse that was scheduled to take place just a day after the incident took place. Given the media coverage and the cameraman, Eugene Amos’ charges against Rodman, the CEO reportedly started having second thoughts about the deal.? To add to the problem, Manley was also worried that this would end Rodman’s NBA career.

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“I thought we were done,” Manley told Sports Illustrated.

Fortunately, for Rodman, Manley fixed the situation after Amos agreed to a settlement that cost the Bulls legend $200,000. As a result, the Worm was allowed to rejoin the Bulls and the deal with Converse was successfully done.

Given the Hall of Famer’s reputation at the time, most agents would think twice before becoming Rodman’s manager. However, Manley’s different perspective influenced his decision to work with the Rebound King.

What did Manley see in the Bulls legend?

Dwight Manley could be described as everything Dennis Rodman was not. While Rodman was a hardcore partygoer, Manley was a non-drinker and liked playing golf. Their personalities and even wardrobe preferences were just as different. However, the reason Manley took up the job as Rodman’s agent was that he felt that Rodman just needed a little help to shine.

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Manley said Rodman was “a diamond in the desert that just needed some polishing. It was so obvious.”

It is probably safe to say that Manley saw something in Rodman that not many could see.