During the abbreviated 1999 season, the Los Angeles Lakers had Shaquille O’Neal, then the most dominant player in the NBA, and a young, budding superstar named Kobe Bryant. Yet despite their natural talent, they hadn’t come close to winning a world championship.
That year, they needed a power forward, and management believed bringing Dennis Rodman out of mothballs was the solution.
Rodman had recently retired once the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls dynasty ended. He was one of basketball’s greatest defensive players ever and arguably the sport’s greatest rebounder, but he was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. No one, not even Bulls head coach Phil Jackson, had figured out how to fully keep him in check.
With the Lakers, Rodman made a positive impact at first, but his excessive partying and eccentricities started to hurt the team. He often showed up late to practice, yet one of the few times he arrived on time, he still found a way to irritate head coach Kurt Rambis.
Teammate Robert Horry recalled on the “Uninterrupted Podcast” how Rodman drove Rambis to his wits’ end.
“The first time Rodman ever made it to practice on time, he had no shoes because someone stole (his shoes),” Horry said. “He walked in there (with no shoes), and – we talked about having a day – Kurt Rambis had a bad day. He was like, ‘I’m sick of you (expletive). Get the (expletive) out.’”
After 23 games, Rodman was released by the Lakers. During that time, he averaged 11.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per contest.
They were swept that season by the San Antonio Spurs. Afterward, Jackson replaced Rambis as their head coach, and the rest was history. The Lakers ripped off three straight NBA titles and five over the next 11 seasons.