“What the Hell Was That For?”: Getting Smacked in the Chest on Court by NBA Legend Had Dennis Rodman Baffled vs Lakers in 1987

Dennis Rodman had a highly successful career spanning 14 years. Rodman is very popular among NBA fans for his stint with the Chicago Bulls, where he won a three-peat. However, his journey to NBA greatness started with Detroit Pistons, who drafted him in 1986. Rodman spent the majority of his NBA career with the Pistons during their ‘Bad Boy’ era. Rodman won two of his first championships with the Pistons, playing some of the NBA greats such as Isiah Thomas. Once Isiah Thomas had to remind Rodman that the Pistons meant nothing but business.

Dennis Rodman became a key piece to Detroit Pistons‘ back-to-back titles in the late 80s. He didn’t become a regular starter for the Pistons in his early years in the NBA, but eventually found his way there after a few seasons. To this day, he is a Pistons fan favorite.

Rodman made a lot of headlines back in his playing days and continues to do so after retirement. However, one incident that stands out among them was him getting hit on his chest by Isiah Thomas.

Dennis Rodman discusses getting hit by Isiah Thomas during Pistons vs Lakers in 1987

Rodman gave an interview to Complex.com in 2019, where he talked about his NBA career. During the interview, he was asked about his response to being called a ‘genius’ by Isiah Thomas. To this, Rodman replied that he ‘just played the game’ and didn’t ‘know the fundamentals.’ Rodman also revealed the incident of him getting smacked by Isiah Thomas in 1987.

“We was playing the Lakers, I think in ’87, and Isiah came to me—someone was shooting a free throw, talking about shooting a free throw. I was at half court just standing there and he came to me and just lunged at me and hit me in my chest so hard,” Rodman said.

“I said, ‘What the hell was that for?’ He said, ‘This is no bullshit, Dennis, this is for real. Get your mind right. We trying to be champs.’ And I didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t going to fight him on the court. He just looked at me. I think that point on I got the message of it. Okay, this shit is real. This ain’t no fun and games. This is about winning a championship,” he added.

Isiah Thomas was an animal on the court. He spent his entire career with Detroit Pistons. Despite several lucrative offers from different teams, he decided to end his career as a Pistons legend.

Isiah Thomas once slammed Chicago Bulls for taking most of the Pistons’ players including Rodman

Isiah Thomas and the Pistons were rivals of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls took over from the Pistons and went on to win a three-peat. Meanwhile, Thomas once blamed Michael Jordan‘s Bulls for signing most of their players.

“Dennis Rodman was better than people think. When Dennis was with the Detroit Pistons, Dennis had to learn a lot of things about how to play,” Isiah Thomas said in a podcast.

“Now, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, they get Dennis Rodman. It was like, ‘Oh, the Detroit Pistons were bad’ but didn’t ya’ll go and get half our team.”

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The Pistons had an insane roster back in the 80s and 90s. They were very close to a three-peat as they lost to the Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals in the 7th game. However, they dominated the NBA for quite a while and were among the most feared teams during the Bad Boys era.

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