“I Lost $50,000 Like in Two Minutes”: Dennis Rodman, Who Now Has a $500K Net Worth, Gambled Just to Get Away From Shaq-Kobe Drama

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant‘s beef during their days together as teammates for the Los Angeles Lakers is well documented. While they won three championships in a row, there is a common belief that they could and should have won more before eventually splitting ahead of the 2004-05 season. One person who couldn’t deal with their drama was 5x NBA champion, Dennis Rodman. While Rodman is one of the most eccentric personalities to ever play the game, even he found the drama too much to handle. In typical Rodman fashion, he found a unique way to get away from the beef.

After he went on an expletive-laden rant against the dynamic duo, then-owner Jerry Buss apparently asked Rodman whether he wanted to go somewhere. He responded, “Yeah, I gotta get the [expletive] out of here.” This led to the duo going to Vegas, where Buss gave Rodman $200,000 to gamble along with him.

Rodman said, “I lost $50,000 like in two minutes.” He continued, “I swear to God, I swear to god. I was like, ‘I can’t do this, man.’” While there is no evidence of whether Buss accompanied him to Vegas, Rodman’s story states otherwise.

Dennis Rodman didn’t gel with the Lakers

The Worm’s time with the Lakers isn’t fondly remembered by anyone connected to the franchise. While the Lakers went on a 10-game winning streak after Rodman joined, he didn’t play a big part in it. In fact, this infamous trip to Vegas apparently happened during that time span.

Rodman suited up for the Lakers on only 23 occasions. He started 11 of those games and averaged 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds during his time in Los Angeles. After growing concerns throughout the organization, Rodman was released in the offseason.

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Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal went as far as to say that Rodman was the worst teammate he ever had. However, this didn’t prove to be Rodman’s final run in the league as he signed for the Dallas Mavericks the next season. He was waived after only 12 games and never returned to the NBA.

The Lakers were better off without the Worm

While Rodman was expected to add experience to a young roster, his departure proved to be a big turning point for the franchise. The Lakers hired Phil Jackson ahead of the 1999-00 season. The team, led by the legendary Jackson went on to win 3 championships in a row.

O’Neal established himself as the best player in the league, while Kobe turned from a young prospect to a superstar. However, their disputes off the court grew as time went on. The whole feud was widely covered by news outlets and Shaq was eventually traded to the Miami Heat after the Lakers surprisingly lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Kobe and Shaq are considered one of the best two-man tandems in league history. However, they could have won more than those three titles. They eventually squashed their beef years after Shaq’s departure from LA.

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What are your thoughts on Rodman getting fed up with the Lakers drama? Let us know in the comments.