Some people embrace the chaos that they leave the world in, and Dennis Rodman falls under that category. The Chicago Bulls icon grew popular almost instantly for his wild antics on and off the NBA court, often making headlines for all the wrong reasons. One such instance was revealed by former NBA player Shawn Kemp recently.

Shawn Kemp was with the Seattle SuperSonics in the 90s. He formed a formidable team alongside Gary Payton and Detlef Schrempf, reaching the finals in 1996. They faced the mighty Bulls that year, and we all know how it turned out for Shawn Kemp and Co. He recently mentioned how Dennis Rodman adopted wild tactics to get on the nerves of his opponents during the series.

“We had no answer for Dennis Rodman. Every time that they needed a second shot or something special or extra rebound, a tip in – this motherf***er was flying and winking and kissing and sh*t,” Kemp says. However, according to the 6X All-Star, that was Dennis just on the court, on a mission to ‘irritate’ his opponents.

“Frank Brickowski man…Dennis started wearing colored contacts, during the championship, with some lip sh*t on man, he would try to kiss Frank’s arm, and Frank just couldn’t take it man. The man in him just couldn’t allow it. Dennis knew what buttons to push, we needed Frank to rebound,” Kemp added on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast.

Kemp’s revelation about Dennis Rodman would not even be surprising to fans who have been following the league for a while. Rodman’s specialty was rebounding, and getting into the minds of rivals with no real effort. He knew that the best way to beat his opponents would be to beat them mentally first, and that’s what he did with Frank Brickowski, who was crucial for the SuperSonics back then.

Brickowski’s goal was to rebound for his team against the Bulls, the exact role Rodman played as well. But the ‘Worm’ made sure to keep his rival at bay. Rodman restricted him to an average of only 2 rebounds per game that series. Kemp mentions that this was what won the Bulls the title that year, not Michael Jordan’s phenomenal numbers.

Shawn Kemp takes a jab at Michael Jordan to back Dennis Rodman

On the same podcast, Shawn Kemp mentioned that Michael Jordan didn’t beat the SuperSonics that year, but Rodman did. The Bulls’ big three of MJ, Rodman, and Scottie Pippen were collectively on the same page. But Jordan’s impact on the Bulls is second to almost none. In 1996, ‘His Airness’ averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as the Bulls won the series in six. The NBA legend also shot impressively, with an FG% of 41.5.

Despite this, Kemp claims that Jordan’s numbers and scoring were not what won the Bulls the title. Make no mistake, Rodman played a pivotal role that year as well. He averaged 14.7 rebounds per game, which isn’t an ordinary number for a playoff series, let alone the NBA Finals.

NBA OGs have often mentioned that rebounds can pave the path to a championship. That was the case with Rodman and the Bulls. Although Jordan and Pippen managed to get the job done for the franchise, it was Rodman who did the dirty work for them. Seems like Phil Jackson brought Rodman to Chicago for this sole purpose.

However, it would be an exaggeration to claim that he alone led the team to a title. Basketball requires a solidified effort from all the players and staff, and that was the reason why the Bulls were able to win the three-peat twice.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.