3 Times Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr Locked Horns Despite Building Bulls Legacy Together

You thought the Jordan-Pippen drama was the only Bulls dynasty civil war? The supporting cast behind the star duo has its own feud on the side. On the surface, Steve Kerr’s beef with Dennis Rodman doesn’t make sense. But feelings of bitterness simmer everywhere in the ’90s Bulls. You could say at the prime of their playing careers, media bad boy and Michael Jordan-defender, Rodman outshone Kerr. Then Kerr, whose persona contrasted with The Worm, transitioned from playing to coaching at an unprecedented level. That somehow presses Dennis’ nerve.

Certain incidents in recent history have made up the undercurrents of previously unnoticed tensions between Kerr and Rodman. As Kerr leads a star-studded All-Star team to the Olympics, Rodman’s bitter feelings are a lot louder.

#1 Steve Kerr’s coaching abilities called into question

Kerr represented the USA at the FIBA World Championship in 1986. But his first Olympic appearance was as the assistant coach of the 2020 Team USA that won gold. For the first time, he’s the head coach heading to Paris. Dennis Rodman has not repped the country on the international stage. His daughter, Trinity Rodman, is the family’s Olympian. But his focus seems to be Kerr.

In 2014, he was asked if his former teammate showed the makings to be one of the Top 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History. Then Rodman said, “Kerr ain’t coaching s***. He just sitting there watching them kids shoot.” 

He meant that Kerr was coaching the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant, who didn’t need supervision. But the Warriors have won four titles under him. He’s now leading a team with LeBron James poised to win another Olympic gold. 10 years ago though, Rodman didn’t make a feud obvious. He hardly complimented him, though.

#2 Dennis Rodman downplayed Kerr’s offensive skills

Rodman was the best defensive rebounder of his time. He had a 7.3 PPG to a 13.1 RPG stat and enabled his teammates to bring up their individual scores. He even had 0 points and 28 rebounds in a game. Despite putting shooting on the backseat himself, he believes Kerr didn’t prioritize scoring.

“I think he took great pride in not scoring,” he said on a 2023 podcast. “It was really bizarre. When we were in Chicago together, he would have games where he would get an offensive board and literally have a layup, and he would just throw it back out, I think hoping that we would miss another shot so that he could get another offensive board.”

Kerr’s overall PPG in 15 seasons is 6.0. If that was on purpose can’t be said.

#3 The Load Management Disagreement

In 2017, Rodman said that Michael Jordan “never rested” the way LeBron James did. Six years later, Kerr reminded him he was the originator of load management. “I saw Denis Rodman was complaining about it, and I got a good kick out of that.” He took a jab at Dennis the Menace’s notoriety, like saying “he got plenty of rest,” when he was suspended, jetted off to Vegas, or went on WWE.

Only Kerr and the Bulls would remember the atmosphere within the team when Rodman went to Vegas in the middle of the 1997-98 season. Or when he skipped practice after Game 3 of the ’98 NBA Finals to go on WCW Nitro. Some would argue that Rodman invented load management before it was a buzzword today. So yes, Kerr doesn’t want him to complain about players taking time off.

Rodman’s past comments on Kerr have resurfaced during the latter’s first Olympic stint as a head coach. But it’s also evident that Kerr keeps score and can pull out the receipts on Rodman anytime.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.