5. Dennis Rodman’s mid-finals wrestling appearance with Hulk Hogan
One of the most memorable takeaways from this docuseries is that Dennis Rodman engaged in some crazy endeavors during his time with the Chicago Bulls and was still an absolute force on the basketball court as one of the best rebounders of all time.
It was clear Rodman had a troubled youth, even surviving being homeless in his late teens. Therefore, after not having much control over his life in his earlier years Rodman was determined to live life on his terms as an adult.
This includes the aforementioned mid-season trip to Vegas in which Dennis Rodman, one of the most famous individuals on the planet at the time, partied hard at the most public spots in Las Vegas with Carmen Electra, another one of the most famous individuals on the planet, during the Chicago Bulls 1997-98 season. Michael Jordan eventually had to come physically get Dennis back to practice while Carmen Electra hid behind a couch.
To imagine the stir this would cause in today’s era of social media with seemingly constant public surveillance would be almost unfathomable.
However, Dennis Rodman somehow managed to outdo himself with something even more outlandish. Part of the outlandish nature of this particular event comes from the fact that Rodman missed practice for this event – in the middle of the NBA Finals. Dennis Rodman missed a practice before Game 4 of the 1997 NBA Finals to publicly appear on TV beside Hulk Hogan and his black leather-clad faction, “The NWO,” literally hitting another wrestler in the back of the head with a steel chair all while his teammates were practicing for Game 4.
Rodman knew he would get caught, but in true Dennis Rodman fashion, he had his best game of the series the following night securing 14 hard-fought rebounds. It’s clear from this docuseries that Dennis Rodman and former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson were a match made in heaven as Jackson gave Dennis the necessary leeway to be his free-spirited self off the court so he could have the mental energy to produce incredible results on the court to the tune of three straight championships from the time of Dennis’s arrival.
Dennis Rodman was truly one of a kind.