![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-460209522.jpg?width=600)
via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 09: Dennis Rodman Visits The FOX Business Network at FOX Studios on December 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-460209522.jpg?width=600)
via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 09: Dennis Rodman Visits The FOX Business Network at FOX Studios on December 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
Dennis Rodman is one of the most widely known players to have ever stepped foot on a basketball court. His fame doesn’t come just from his game on the court, but also from his antics off the court. He is a polarizing figure in sports entertainment. From going to meet Kim Jong-un in North Korea to bringing a rifle to the Pistons arena and now joining the pro wrestling organization AEW, Dennis Rodman’s life has never come close to being like a regular person.
Dennis talked about the show Rodman on the Rebound in his book. He explained, trying to come back to the NBA following his final stint with the Dallas Mavericks in 2000.
Dennis Rodman’s grand return to court was not what he expected
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
During his 28 days with Dallas, he was arrested for driving under the influence, suspended once by the league, and ejected twice from games during that time. Dennis Rodman could never stay away from drinking, and his agents could never get him to even attend an interview without being drunk.
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1135004541.jpg?width=150&blur=15)
via Getty
CENTURY CITY, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Former NBA great Dennis Rodman attends the launch of fitness celebrity Jennifer Cohen’s “Habits And Hustle” podcast at Westfield Century City on March 10, 2019, in Century City, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Three years later, Rodman was doing a reality series where he was capturing his way back to the NBA. The series was set to have a dramatic event happen. But the dramatic event for the series was not Dennis’s grand reintroduction to the league but rather an intervention with his friends Darren, Wendell, Thaer, and Michelle. But Rodman revealed that he was already in control of his life and had started working on himself a few months prior.
Read More: Dennis Rodman Inks Girlfriend Yella Yella’s Face Once Again, Weeks After Viral Cheek Tattoo
He said that he started working out even before announcing his plans to return to the league and also took control of his body and got his weight down.
Dennis sees the intervention as something the friends needed more than he did at the time.
ESPN was kind toward Dennis Rodman
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Dennis then explains in his book that ESPN was kind to him during those times and didn’t portray him as a hopeless person. Of course, he thinks the show showcased him more as an alcoholic than an NBA player.
But they ended the show on a good note. Rodman is seen sober, working out, and waiting by the phone to get a call from the league.
Watch This Story: Dennis Rodman Inks Girlfriend Yella Yella’s Face Once Again, Weeks After Viral Cheek Tattoo
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Rodman stayed sober for two years, but later revealed that he relapsed. His explanation, in classic worm fashion, was simply that he was bored with being sober.
Dennis Rodman never made it back to the NBA. He later played for a team called Long Beach Jam in a minor league in 2003. This was his last trial at basketball, and he has been officially retired since then.