During his entire Hall of Fame speech in 2011, Dennis Rodman was stuttering and overwhelmed with emotion. His issues about abandonment came to light as he spoke about his eccentric life choices being an illusion of his true personality. The Chicago Bulls legend also spoke about him not being a good father to his children and not being an ideal son while his mother was in attendance. After Shirley Rodman’s passing away a few days ago, the mother-son love-hate relationship took the spotlight again.

Rodman stated that they never got along, and it changed for the worse when he became a teenager. “My mother worked three jobs and kicked me out of the house and said, ‘You have to leave here because you got you know I can’t take you anymore.’ I resented her for a long time,” Rodman mentioned during his Hall of Fame speech.

Ultimately, he went to live with a white family on a cattle ranch in Bokchito, Oklahoma. Even though Dennis Rodman achieved success, he still was hurt by his mother’s actions. He felt detached because he never received any positive appreciation, not even motherly affection. “My mother rarely ever hugged me or hugged my siblings.”

The 5x NBA champion did agree during his induction that his mother worked the hardest. He also admitted that she never knew how to show appreciation and it wasn’t her fault entirely. Plus, he held the grudge for so long and said, “I haven’t been a great son.” Putting the rocky relationship behind him, he bid a final farewell, keeping the storms away from his memory.

“Thank you for the Memories ✨ Thank you for creating Me Dennis Rodman. Thank you for being My Mother Forever My Angel 😇 RIP Mom!” The issues Rodman faced with his mother had a lot to do with his absent father.

Dennis Rodman and his abandonment issue

The Worm’s (nickname given by his mother) father deserted him and his family when he was just 5 years old. Philander Rodman Jr. came back into his life after 42 long years, because Dennis Rodman finally decided to meet after an exhibition game in the Philipines. His father sold a book and established a joint named Rodman’s Rainbow Obamaburger.

Even Dennis Rodman failed to be around his children when they were growing up. His daughter and soccer star Trinity and her brother didn’t have the NBA icon around them as much as they needed him. During his speech, he even addressed the issue, thanked his ex-wife, and shared the only regret of his basketball career: not being a good father to his children.

Lastly, he ended his speech with a message for his mother and being a better son. “Hopefully that I can love you like I used to when I was born.” It’s obvious that Dennis Rodman had his issues and was never afraid to share them with the world. Starting from his Oprah Winfrey interviews to his HOF speech, every time he mentioned the things that troubled him and how he could be a better person.