"He was really troubled during that period of time" - Jerry West on Dennis Rodman's chaotic season with the Los Angeles Lakers

After helping Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls complete another three-peat, the team released power forward Dennis Rodman ahead of the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season.

It was a slap in the face to one of the game’s best defenders and rebounders. Yes, he was ageing, but he was still better than most NBA players.

Rodman didn’t have to wait long for an offer. By January 1999, the Los Angeles Lakers signed him to a pro-rated deal. His role was to provide some guidance and veteran leadership to the young roster headlined by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Messed up

It looked good on paper, but those long and tedious months without basketball might have taken a toll on The Worm, and he vented his frustrations on his teammates. Jerry West, the Lakers general manager at that time, reflected on Dennis’ lone and chaotic year in LA.

“I really like Dennis personally, he was with us in Los Angeles for a short period of time,” West said. “It didn’t work out there, he was really troubled during that period of time. But I think Phil Jackson should get an enormous amount of credit for being able to handle him.”

Back then, the Lakers were still trying to find their identity. They put all their chips on the young Kobe and traded away Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. Over the course of the season, the team had three head coaching changes.

This was a radically different atmosphere from what The Worm was used to. Just a few months before, he was part of a well-organized championship machine with the Bulls. Meanwhile, with the Lakers, there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty. Deep inside, Rodman wanted to be part of something bigger, not a rebuilding squad.

Rodman thought Shaq and Kobe were jealous of him

Rodman’s tension with Kobe and Shaq also marred his stint in LA. Instead of mentoring the stars, Dennis didn’t see eye-to-eye with them. From Rodman’s observation, Kobe and Shaq wanted the spotlight as the Lakers’ newly minted star duo. They didn’t want to share the fame with anyone, not even a legend like Rodman.

“So I started playing with Kobe and Shaq and stuff like that,” Rodman said. “So I would come to the stadium, and people would actually come to see me because they haven’t seen me in six months. So Kobe and Shaq would be so envious of me. They catered to me so much about me coming to the game, going out to the game, having parties, doing this, doing that, hotel stuff. They couldn’t stand me on that damn team, to be honest with you.”

Amid all the commotion, Dennis averaged 11.2 rebounds per game in 23 games with the Lakers. Rodman blocked all the noise and did his job night in and night out. Unfortunately, the Lakers quickly moved on and released him in the offseason.

The Dallas Mavericks signed the power forward in the 1999-00 season, and he even lived in Mark Cuban’s guest house. Rodman’s erratic behavior continued, and the team had no choice but to part ways with the legend.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“He was really troubled during that period of time” – Jerry West on Dennis Rodman’s chaotic season with the Los Angeles Lakers

Tags: