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via Getty

via Getty

NBA legend Dennis Rodman is one of the most iconic basketball players ever. He was an enigma who did whatever he wanted to unapologetically. Despite being retired for years, Rodman still has a huge spotlight on him. Over the course of his life, he has been in a number of controversies. However, he does not shy away from speaking about these incidents. He has given many honest interviews about some of the hardest situations in his life. One such incident came when he was playing for the Detroit Pistons.

Rodman has just become a superstar in the league with his elite defensive performances. He has won two straight Defensive Player of the Year awards to show for it. Furthermore, the Pistons won two straight NBA titles as well. However, the Pistons’ time ran out, and they were not the best team in the league anymore. And the management decided to make some changes to the team.

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At the time, Rodman has been going through some family issues as well. This caused a lot of stress to Rodman who even contemplated suicide. He was found sleeping in his car with a gun in his hand outside the Pistons arena.

Dennis Rodman went through a really rough patch

During an interview in 2019, Dennis Rodman talked about the turbulent time of his life. At the time he was married to Annie Bakes and started his family life with his wife and his daughter, Alexis Caitlyn. However, things were not smooth. “A lot of things fell down the rail after that when I tried to be a family man which I didn’t know how to be,” said Rodman.

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Then when his wife left him and took the baby, he was hit hard. Meanwhile, the changes being made with the Pistons added to his misery. And the DPOY admitted he did not know how to handle everything. “But then all of a sudden things started to devour and disintegrate. And I just felt like there’s nothing else for me to live for at that particular time.”

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The five-time champion was then traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Pistons were the team to beat under head coach Chuck Daly who was a father figure to Rodman. The ‘Worm’ who was a second-round draft pick developed well under his guidance and became a defensive phenom. They proved to be a huge roadblock to NBA all-time great Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons won two straight titles in 1989 and 1990 before the Bulls took over.