“He’d be the perfect guy if our players would accept him” – Jerry Reinsdorf recalls how the Bulls ended up with Rodman originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The Chicago Bulls got back Michael Jordan in 1995 after a brief retirement. But not even the return of the greatest basketball player of all time could get them past the Orlando Magic in the playoffs. With the Bulls looking to make a strong comeback in the 1995-96 season, head coach Phil Jackson informed team owner Jerry Reinsdorf that they needed someone to fill the void left by Horace Grant.
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Grant left the Bulls in the summer of 1994 to sign a five-year, $50 million deal with the Orlando Magic. Chicago used a four-man committee composed of Corie Blount, Dickey Simpkins, Greg Foster, and Larry Kristkowiak during the 1994-95 season. Still, as they saw in the postseason, they lacked a rebounder who could control the glass.
“Phil said, ‘If we’re going to win a championship, we have to have someone who can fetch the ball.’ That was the expression he used,” recalled Reinsdorf.
The best rebounder in the NBA
When it came to rebounding, the gold standard back then was Dennis Rodman. “The Worm” was playing for the San Antonio Spurs at the time, and he led the league in rebounds in each of the last four seasons. Rodman was coming off a campaign in which he pulled down 16.8 rebounds per game, including 5.6 offensive boards per contest.
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Dennis was among the names mentioned during the Bulls’ meetings. Although most of the room staff had reservations about Rodman’s past life as a member of the Bad Boys and his eccentric personality, they kept coming back to him after exploring other options. Also, “The Worm” was starting to have problems in San Antonio, so Jerry thought that if they wanted him, now was the time.
“We knew Dennis had worn out his welcome in San Antonio. He took off his shoes while he was on the bench and all that,” Reinsdorf said. “But we said he’d be the perfect guy if our players would accept him…But we talked with them, and they said unequivocally, ‘Go get him. He can help us.”
Dennis helped Chicago win their second three-peat
In October 1995, the Bulls traded center Will Perdue to the Spurs to acquire Rodman. Shortly after that, they signed center Jack Haley to “babysit” him in Chicago. Haley was Dennis’ closest teammate and gambling buddy in San Antonio, and they felt he would help the eccentric forward adjust to a new city. Aside from signing Haley, Chicago also consulted a psychologist on how they would approach Rodman’s unique character.
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“And we concluded that how you handle Dennis is don’t worry about the other stuff,” said Reinsdorf. “If he wants to take off his shoes, let him take off his shoes. Who cares?
The gamble paid off. The Bulls let Dennis be Dennis. Rodman played 64 games for the Bulls during the 1995-96 season and led the NBA in rebounds once again at 14.9 boards per contest. Chicago won a then-league record 72 regular-season games and marched to a fourth NBA championship in six years.
Dennis stayed for two more seasons and helped the Bulls complete a second three-peat. Although Rodman’s tenure in Chicago had some hiccups, he turned out to be a brilliant move for Reinsdorf.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.