?I Didn?t Do Anything Wrong?: Paying the Price of Being Himself, Dennis Rodman Was Infuriated in 1996 Controversy Leaving Bulls in Abyss

Dennis Rodman, a five-time NBA champion, has always had an extra set of eyes on him. Each move he made, or each word he uttered would always pass through the lens of criticism. Additionally, the opinion of the majority was that Rodman’s actions on the court or off the court were unconventional and morally wrong. One such action occurred in 1996. It involved a referee and Rodman. While the world attacked Rodman, he simply said, ?I Didn?t Do Anything Wrong.?

In 1996, the Chicago Bulls visited the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls were playing without their star player Scottie Pippen. So Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Rodman shared the responsibility to make up for Pippen’s absence. However, mid-game a heated Rodman was asked to get off the court, leaving Jordan alone on the court. While Jordan had others to bank on, no one matched the level of Rodman or Pippen. Jordan made 38 points and helped the Bulls to a 98-94 victory. But Rodman’s actions on-court overshadowed all the good news.

Dennis Rodman goes at it with a referee

During the game, Rodman received two technical fouls leading to phase an automatic ejection. Rodman thought this was unfair. While arguing with the referee Ted Bernhardt, Rodman looked furious. He headbutt the referee, removed his jersey, and kicked a water cooler before walking off the court.?

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Rodman wouldn’t stop arguing. Reports state that while walking into the tunnel, Rodman threw a couple of profanities at the referee?s huddle. The spectators booed him off the court. Some members of the Bulls support staff tried to calm him down but to no avail. A punishment then followed.?

The NBA punishes Rodman

The NBA placed a 6 game suspension and $20,000 fine on Dennis Rodman. Following this, the NBA’s senior vice president of operation, Rod Thorn stated that what Rodman did falls under the category of physical assault. This is something the league will not tolerate.

However, Rodman didn’t like this. He felt like the league was always waiting for an opportunity to attack him. He said, “Rod Thorn, David Stern, suspend me okay? You guys so big, then suspend me.”?He claimed that he didn’t do anything wrong and felt like everyone was just breathing down his neck. He jokingly said, “They’d love to see me k**l myself, won’t they?”?

Following his suspension, Bulls Coach Phil Jackson stated that the team felt let down by Rodman because this meant that Jordan and co will have to re-group and work harder, especially with the absence of Scottie Pippen.

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