Former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time, having made his name in the NBA as a relentless defender and won five championships – three with Chicago and two with the Detroit Pistons.
Rodman was a rebounding machine – he led the NBA in rebounds per game for seven consecutive seasons and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice, while his timing, athleticism and tenacity were unmatched and made up for his relative lack of size.
While off the court he drew attention for his flamboyant fashion choices and high-profile relationships, Rodman always backed up his persona with pure dominance on the court, which helped him stand out in arguably the most physical era of the NBA.
A truly unique basketball superstar himself, Rodman was once asked to name the greatest NBA player of all time and, unsurprisingly, picked his former teammate, with whom he arguably spent the best years of his basketball career.
NBA_Top 10 Bulls Players Related
Top 10 Players in Chicago Bulls History
The Chicago Bulls have had many legends play for them throughout their history, but only one can stand alone at the top.
Dennis Rodman Praises Michael Jordan
‘He brought a lot to the entire basketball community’
Michael Jordan
Rodman, in a 2022 interview with the NBA 2K YouTube channel, shared his thoughts on the GOAT debate and picked his former Bulls teammate Michael Jordan as the greatest NBA player of all time:
“You guys are going to find out a really cool story about this guy who changed the game of basketball literally for all of us and for all of you kids today because you buy this guy’s stuff, and all this stuff is like gold. I think he’s the best.
“He brought a lot to the entire basketball community around the world. That work ethic – that he just went to the gym and worked — was something that I appreciated from MJ.”
Rodman and Jordan spent three seasons together on the Bulls roster and won three NBA titles, with the latter being named Finals MVP in all three runs – 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Chicago posted an overall regular season record of 203 wins and 43 losses during these three seasons, including a then-record 72–10 in 1995–96, which stood as the best regular season performance until 2016, when the Golden State Warriors broke the record by winning 73 games.
With a championship win in 1998, Jordan completed his second three-peat with the Bulls, having first won three consecutive titles from 1991 to 1993.
Widely regarded as the best basketball player of all time, Jordan does not necessarily acknowledge himself as the greatest, despite his six NBA championships, five MVP awards and numerous records.
When he was once pressed on the GOAT debate, Jordan called it a ‘dumb’ question, before referencing his Bulls sides that enjoyed the aforementioned success in the 90s:
“Dumb question. It should be who's the greatest team of all time. You know, there are so many teams to choose from.
“The '91 Chicago Bulls. The '92 Bulls, back to back. The 93' Bulls, first three-peat. The '97 Bulls, even with the flu. The '98 Bulls, no push off.
“And my favourite, the '96 Chicago Bulls, 72 wins, tough to beat that.”
Jordan also once refused to put himself above Larry Bird and Magic Johnson when asked about who is the greatest NBA player of all time and claimed it would be difficult to compare since he played in a different era:
“I don’t put myself above them. I think that we’re all on parallel ground here.
“You know, they educated me about a lot of things about the game, from a team standpoint. So I can’t put myself above. I mean, people try to, but we played in different eras.”
Rodman offering his take on the GOAT debate was not the first time a former Jordan teammate shared their view on the matter.
Another former Bull, Scottie Pippen, snubbed both Jordan and LeBron James when discussing the greatest basketball player of all time and once picked a former Lakers star instead.
Scottie Pippen Related
Scottie Pippen Named His NBA GOAT - Not Michael Jordan or LeBron James
Scottie Pippen didn't go with the traditional pick of Michael Jordan or LeBron James when he picked his NBA GOAT.
Statistics courtesy of Statmuse. Correct as of 0 2 -07-25.