“I’m hungrier than those other guys out there. Every rebound is a personal challenge,” said Dennis Rodman once during his NBA career. But he also proved what he meant with his on-court antics. While most stars dazzled with scoring prowess, “The Worm” revolutionized the art of rebounding with a total of 11,954 rebounds in his NBA career, which ranks him 23rd in the league, and also with an intensity that bordered on obsession. And now years after Rodman has retired from the league, a former Bulls player has made a revelation.

In the new episode of the ‘Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast,‘ former Chicago Bulls center King shared a fascinating revelation about his first encounter with Rodman, that almost turned his head.

“I was like ‘Who is this Rodman dude?’ So me and my boys’ high school team went up to go see who this Dennis Rodman. Southeast Oklahoma, country town, there’s not too many brothers down there. You know we are like raisins in bowl of cream and wheat. So we go over there and we sit up in the stands like it’s like a highschool arena. So we’re waiting for this guy to come out, Dennis Rodman. So he’s not out of there, he’s doing layups, so we said ‘Hey man, where’s this Dennis Rodman character?’ I’m thinking he’s gonna be like six-eleven, a big dude. Man! He comes running out of the locker room like some crazy wild dog and he does like three laps around the arena floor like full speed and he goes, ‘There’s the Worm right there,'” said King during his podcast.

Before the NBA, Dennis Rodman was far from a household name. He played at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a small school far from the usual NBA scouting radar. However, his college stats were nothing short of remarkable. He averaged 25.7 points and an astonishing 15.7 rebounds per game, showcasing a talent for dominating the boards and an unrelenting will to win.

Once Rodman actually got to the NBA though, his impact grew. Coming out of high school, the Worm was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1986 and accepted his role as an unstoppable rebounder and defensive stalwart. For the majority of Rodman’s professional career, he led the NBA in rebounds while also sporting an impressive 13.1 rebounds per game average. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and made appearances on seven All-Defensive First Team. However, King was quite surprised to see the change in Rodman since he first saw him in the high school arena.

“When I got to Chicago and he was just a defensive player, I was like ‘This ain’t the dude that was at South-East Oklahoma. This dude at South East Oklahoma could score.’ He can make layups around, he could post up, turn around jumpers face up and he changed his game completely in the NBA to fit where he needed to get on the floor,” added King during the podcast.

Still, numbers only tell half the story. His evolution into ‘The Worm’ gave professional basketball, and his ‘Wild Dog’ personality, a new dimension. His rebounding skills were as much part of his identity as his ever-changing hair colors, from neon green to leopard print patterns. The tattoos, the piercings, and the outlandish outfits made the athlete impossible to ignore off the court.

As King’s recollection suggests, Rodman’s journey from an unknown NAIA player to NBA superstardom represents more than just athletic achievement – it’s a testament to how the NBA’s bright lights can transform not just careers, but entire personalities. However, even though King here reminisces about a positive moment, there was a time when his encounter with Rodman was not at all positive.

Dennis Rodman’s head-butt on Stacey King

In the rough-and-tumble era of ’90s basketball, Dennis Rodman’s volatile temperament was legendary, and being a bad boy Piston, his physical antics and trash-talking were quite visible on the court. However, former Chicago Bulls center Stacey King proved he wouldn’t back down from anyone – not even ‘The Worm.’

On December 18, 1993, in just his 24th game as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, Dennis Rodman was up to his old tricks against the Chicago Bulls, headbutting Stacey King, receiving a two-handed push to the face in return, and ultimately inciting the ejection of both King and himself. Playing just 24 minutes, Rodman’s nine rebounds was his second-lowest output of the season up to that point. He went on to average 17.3 boards per night for a 55-win Spurs team.

However, this wasn’t the only time, the former ‘Bad Boy’ had headbutted somebody. Rodman was ejected in 1996 against the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford. Rodman was furious with this decision and at the time headbutted referee Ted Bernhardt, which cost him a $20,000 fine. Now as King reveals his memories about Rodman, it seems like the heated moments between him and Rodman are buried in the dust.