Years Before Calling LeBron James Average, Dennis Rodman Was Willing to Team Up with ‘The King’ for a ‘Jordan-esque’ Comeback

Dennis Rodman?s ?antics? off-court never reflected on his on-court performances. The Chicago Bulls legend was flawless on the hardwood till his ‘Last Dance’ with the Bulls in 1998. But after his exit from the NBA, his career prospects seemed to diminish substantially. After a set of bizarre career choices, the NBA legend wanted to return to the league and almost ended up playing with LeBron James in 2003.

Back in 2013, the Bulls no. 91 had called King James “average.” In other words, Rodman claimed that LeBron James would struggle to compete in his era of basketball in the 90s. However, the Chicago Bulls legend almost ended up in James’ team years before that.

Rodman wanted to return to the NBA in 2003, and playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers could have been one way in. Although the choice didn?t excite him at first, it sounded similar to Michael Jordan?s return, convincing him to give it a try.

Dennis Rodman once agreed to a possible return to the NBA with a young LeBron

Dennis Rodman had a pretty successful career. He was indispensable for most of his career, even though people weren?t exactly pleased with his public life. Rodman was so good on the defensive end of the floor that all his behavioral flaws were overshadowed. However, it had to end at some point.

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After exiting the Bulls, the Rebound king had difficulty adjusting his life in any team, even the Los Angeles Lakers. The veteran defender decided to move to Mexico and also gave the G-league a try before wanting to return to the NBA.?

His return to the NBA in 2003 was not exactly an easy task, as his managers understood back then. In this 2003 feature, one of the people from his team can be seen discussing with him his potential options. During the conversation, the manager asked him if he?d like to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers led by a young LeBron James.

?I need your[Dennis Rodman] input in some of these teams,” said the member of Rodman’s team to him. He further added, “Cleveland’s a young team and they’ve got LeBron James, I know you don’t want too much babysitting but how do you feel like playing for Cleveland.”

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Rodman mentioned how he’d not like playing for a losing team. In response, his peer tackled his concern by saying how his comeback would be similar to Michael Jordan‘s stint with the Washington Wizards. He also pointed out that taking a young Cleveland side to the playoffs would do wonders for his reputation, even if he has to come off the bench in the games.

Do you think Rodman could’ve done a good job in Cleveland? Let us know in the comments below.