Trinity Rodman on using her father’s rebounding style in her game

“I watched my dad play a lot more than people really know”

Trinity Rodman has said she is trying to incorporate her father’s tenacious rebounding style into her own game.

Even though they are two different sports, there’s one central principal that Rodman has taken from basketball and applied to soccer: “Hunting.”

Rodman is, of course, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, one of the best rebounders in basketball history.

Speaking to reporters at the U.S. women’s national team media day last weekend, Rodman said she has studied her father’s style of play, looking to apply it to her own game.

Even though she was born two years after her father’s 2000 retirement, Rodman said. “I watched my dad play a lot more than people really know.”

“I think, obviously, my dad was pretty good at rebounding,” she added in quotes published on Fox Sports. “I think just always hunting, with rebounding it is hunting in front of goal, hunting when you lose the ball. I think that is a huge part of my game, reading, tracking back and being the first person to get a foot, a head, a knee or a shin on something that pops up.

“Even if he wasn’t the first guy under the basket or he was next to Shaq [O’Neal], who was way bigger, way taller, he was going to get the rebound. It was timing, it was anticipation, it was body movement, it was positioning, it was everything. I think he was so intelligent and people take that away. He was a freak of nature, and an insane athlete, but at the end of the day I think he was one of the smartest players of all time.”

Rodman put that ethos on display in the USWNT’s send-off game against Wales on Sunday. Having already scored once, Rodman demonstrated her “hunting” mentality to rob the ball off a Wales player before curling home a fantastic strike to complete her brace.

Rodman is not close with her father, saying that she has not been in communication with him for months. She has maintained a sense of perspective on the relationship, saying she is comfortable with where things stand between them.

“Like I’ve said before, I’ve gotten closure with it all,” she said. “I know he’s proud of me. I truly do. He has his own things to deal with but at the end of the day, he’s communicated to me that he knows I was going to be here, and that’s all I need.”

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D.J. Rodman gets DeMar DeRozan’s blessing to wear jersey No. 10 at USC

It’s quite a gesture for DeMar to allow D.J. Rodman to wear No. 10. Remember: Dennis Rodman wore No. 10 in the NBA.

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team has a ton of new faces this season, with Isaiah Collier and Bronny James being the most notable.

Washington State transfer D.J. Rodman is another big name. He is the son of NBA legend Dennis Rodman. With both Bronny and Collier choosing their jersey numbers, now Rodman has his: No. 10.

However, Chicago Bulls star and Trojan legend DeMar DeRozan gave Rodman his blessing to wear the jersey even though that number is retired at the Galen Center. It was and is a classy move.

Rodman is just one of a notable number of players to come to USC, although they lost some talent with Drew Peterson leaving for the NBA’s Miami Heat and Reese Dixon-Waters going to San Diego State.

Nonetheless, the Trojans team has a lot of talent, and Rodman should be a significant contributor after an impressive run with the Cougars. Now, he gets to wear DeRozan’s number, which is quite the show of respect from the NBA All-Star.

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Isiah Thomas disagrees with Dennis Rodman’s take that Larry Bird would play in Europe today

“Bird would win two or three championships in this era,” added Thomas for good measure.

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Former NBA star Dennis Rodman turned some heads after saying that his longtime Boston Celtics rival, Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird, would be playing in Europe if he were playing today. But Isiah Thomas, his fellow Detroit Pistons alum from the “Bad Boy” era that regularly locked horns with Bird’s Celtics, disagreed on a recent episode of the “Sway in the Morning” show (h/t Basketball Network’s Shane Garry Acedera).

“My personal opinion on Larry Bird, if Larry Bird was playing today, he would still be the MVP of the league, and his team would still be winning championships,” said Thomas.

“Now, why do I say that?” he continued. “Because we just watched The Joker (Nikola Jokic), who is very similar to Larry Bird, take his Denver Nuggets team and win the championship.”

“So if I look at these two players, and I’m sayin’ that they’re similar, then Bird would win two or three championships in this era.”

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‘There’s no way’ Larry Bird could play in today’s NBA, according to Dennis Rodman

And no, he did not mean Larry Legend at his current age.

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Generally speaking, most former NBA players are not all that crazy about comparing players from one era to another given how rule changes and styles of play allow for certain kinds of players to excel in one era, but in others they might not get off of the bench. But that did not stop Dennis Rodman from a feeble attempt at slandering Boston Celtics rival Larry Bird recently.

“If Larry Bird played in this era, I think he’d be in Europe. He’d be somewhere over there,” began Rodman, perhaps still smarting from when The Hick From French Lick put him in his place during their playing days.

“His game was fit for Boston at that time in the ’80s,” added the former Detroit Pistons star. “Today’s world — oh, (expletive), no. There’s no way”

“I’m not downplaying him because he was a great player at that time, just like I was,” claimed Rodman. “But I’m saying no, there’s no way — I think the kid from Denver is better than (Bird).”

It’s unclear what kid from presumably the Nuggets roster is better than Larry Legend, but we’ll assume he means Nikola Jokic given the frequent comparisons between the two. We also think he is wrong.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Washington State’s D.J. Rodman transfers to USC, gives Trojans a good fit

#USC has Dennis Rodman’s son and LeBron James’ son on the same team. Beyond that, the Trojans got a very good player.

The USC Trojans, as we have told you over the past few weeks, still needed another roster piece even if they landed Bronny James. The Trojans gained Bronny’s commitment this past Saturday, but they still needed a player to round out their roster. They needed a forward who could defend, rebound, and ideally hit perimeter shots.

They just got that kind of player on Tuesday.

D.J. Rodman, an experienced forward who played for Washington State and recently entered the transfer portal, committed to USC. Rodman is the son of NBA champion Dennis Rodman. He joins LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, on a USC roster with more NBA bloodlines.

Rodman is a very good positional fit for the Trojans. At 6-6, he might be slightly undersized, but he did average almost six rebounds per game last season while hitting 38 percent of his 3-point shots. Toughness, rebounding, floor spacing, and defense were ingredients USC needed from an incoming transfer to supplement the backcourt of Bronny, Isaiah Collier, and Boogie Ellis.

If you follow Washington State bloggers and their coverage of the Cougars, they were hoping Rodman could be part of WSU’s 2023-2024 roster. The Cougars wanted him to stick around. That in itself is a commentary on his quality.

USC now has Rodman on its roster. That’s a solid, clear improvement to the Trojans, increasing their chances of making a run at various big prizes next season: the Pac-12 title, a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament, and of course, the Final Four.

We’ll have much more on this story in the coming days, as USC basketball continues to gain national attention.

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Eight ACC players selected for Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

Two recent Notre Dame players could have an NBA shot.

There are several avenues for NBA hopefuls to make it to the league. One of the better-known ones is the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is open only to recent college seniors. This is the oldest amateur tournament in the country, so it carries some weight.

The tournament doesn’t generate NBA draft picks every year, but Tyrese Martin ended a four-year drought when he became a second-round selection in 2022. [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] was drafted after taking part in the 2015 tournament. Other notable tournament alumni include Jimmy Butler, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Stockton, Dave Cowens, Earl Monroe and Rick Barry.

This year, eight recent ACC seniors have the opportunity to compete in the tournament. While there aren’t any guarantees for what happens afterwards, it’s a great way to get noticed by scouts. Here are the players who represented the ACC during the past season and will get a good look by folks who know the professional game well:

Dillon Brooks deserved more than a small fine for pushing a camera person

The NBA gave Brooks a slap on the wrist when he should have been suspended.

The NBA fined Dillon Brooks $35,000 Friday for pushing a camera person to the ground while chasing a loose ball in Wednesday’s game against the Heat.

It was a slap on the wrist for a player who deserved much more as an habitual line-stepper.

The push wasn’t incredibly hard, nor did it appear to happen with the intent to injure. If it was any other player, there was enough reasonable doubt to think it wasn’t intentional at all. But everything we know about Brooks removes that doubt.

Even the NBA knows he did it on purpose. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been a punishment. In a statement, the league called the incident an “unsportsmanlike act of shoving a camera person.”

Just look at the follow-through on the push and the casual walkaway. Whether he wanted to hurt the guy or not, injury was possible. Brooks should’ve been suspended a game at least. Maybe more.

A $35,000 fine to someone with a base salary of $11.4 million is a drop in the bucket. Brooks makes about $139,000 a game, according to figures from Spotrac. This fine is equivalent to suspending him for a single quarter.

I’m not a fan of punishment for the sake of it, but a suspension would’ve made clear this won’t be tolerated. When Dennis Rodman kicked a camera person in 1997, he was suspended 11 games and fined $25,000. The NBA didn’t send that message this time, which is a shame because nobody deserves the indignity of being pushed on their back for no reason. Especially not the very camera people who help broadcast the game and its players to the masses.

That it was Brooks should’ve only made the decision easier. This is the same player who caused Gary Payton II to break his elbow with a questionable foul in last year’s playoffs and was suspended a game earlier this season for hitting Donovan Mitchell in the groin.

Mitchell summed it up perfectly at the time: “That’s just who he is. We’ve seen it a bunch in this league with him.”

The NBA shouldn’t have needed to see more to sideline someone who continues to push the boundaries of what’s acceptable behavior.

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Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan did his best Dennis Rodman impression with one-handed free throw

Is Jeremy Sochan the new Worm?

If the similarities between San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan and NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman weren’t obvious enough, the Spurs rookie is doing his best to keep them coming.

But while the brightly dyed hair is one thing, attempting a one-handed free throw in a real NBA game is a new level of Rodman-esque chutzpah. But that’s exactly what Sochan did Monday night, drawing new comparisons to the “Worm,” who did the same thing as a Spur in the mid-90s.

Sochan only made one of his four free throw attempts in the game against the Rockets, but it was worth a try for the 43% free throw shooter.

The similarities don’t end there.

John Lucas on Rockets rookie Tari Eason: ‘Better Dennis Rodman’

John Lucas on #Rockets rookie Tari Eason: “He is a prime example of a better Dennis Rodman. You don’t have to run plays for him.” Jalen Green adds: “He’s a dog.”

HOUSTON — It’s hard to describe how this has happened with just two exhibition games played. Still, Rockets rookie forward Tari Eason is making media members, as well as his fellow players and coaches, run out of adjectives for how well he has played. And Houston still has two more preseason and 82 regular-season games left.

Eason, 21, led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 25 minutes of work in the Rockets’ 116-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night at Toyota Center. His performance was duly noted by Houston assistant coach John Lucas II, who has taken over the head coaching duties while Stephen Silas is in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol.

“Second night, not one play, not many plays (called for Eason), another 24 and nine,” Lucas said. “He missed the 3 and got the ball right back and laid it back up. Big momentum for us. I was on him early because he looks like he gets in a daze, but he’s really focused.”

The praises for the former 2021 Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year did not stop there. In the same week he compared rookie Jabari Smith Jr. to San Antonio legend David Robinson, Lucas tossed out another one-time Spurs comparison for Eason.

“He is a prime example of a better Dennis Rodman,” said Lucas, whose first NBA head coaching job was with the Spurs in the early 1990s. “That is a good fit for him. I have been trying to see who he plays like. You don’t have to run plays for him, but you can pencil in 16 to 18 points for him, and he is getting better. He is crashing the offensive glass. He is running the floor and getting steals.”

For those who have had the opportunity to be around Eason, you can tell that he is a basketball savant who studies the league, both past and present. So, it was no surprise he knew everything Rodman brought to the court every night during his 15 years in the NBA.

“That’s a super, super big honor to be compared to a legend, a Hall of Famer, someone like Dennis Rodman,” said Eason, who is averaging 22.5 points and 9 rebounds per game in the preseason. “Obviously, we both have a knack for finding the ball, playing defense, and bringing high energy. Any time you’re in talks with someone like that, it’s super, super special.”

One player who clearly recognizes that energy while feeding off it on the court is Eason’s teammate and 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie first-team selection, Jalen Green.

“We were just talking about that on the bench,” Green said in referencing a conversation (about Eason) with backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr. “He’s a dog. He is giving us multiple efforts offensively and defensively. He just brings energy. That’s going to be super big for our team going into the season.”

Houston (2-0) is holding an open practice with fans on Saturday at Toyota Center before heading to Miami to play the Heat (2-1) in Monday’s third preseason game. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. Central.

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Shaquille O’Neal calls Dennis Rodman ‘worst teammate’ he ever had

O’Neal stated that though Rodman was a ‘great player’, ‘he made it hard.’

Every athlete at every level has their favorite teammates, whether that’s based on who they can trust in a game or someone who they enjoy spending time with in the locker room or away from the game.

With having a favorite typically comes with also having a least favorite.

For Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, he made his ‘worst teammate’ very clear on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq — and that teammate just so happens to be a Bulls legend.

“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman. He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you are letting this one guy do whatever he wants,” O’Neal said. “So we had to be there an hour before the game. He’d come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds.”

O’Neal was teammates with Rodman in 1998-99, where Rodman played just 23 games for the Lakers, averaging 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

Prior to his short stint in Los Angeles, Rodman was a vital part of the Bulls’ second three-peat from 1995-1998.

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