Dennis Rodman has always marched to the beat of his own drum. That’s how he became a superstar. “The Worm” never played basketball or lived life in a manner that anyone could describe as ordinary and he thrived in chaos, much to the chagrin of David Stern and some of his teammates and coaches.
From diving into the stands for loose balls, to dying his hair every color of the rainbow, to hobnobbing with the dictator of North Korea, when it comes to Rodman, expect the unexpected.
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Despite not fitting the profile of a disciplined professional, when his sneakers hit the hardwood, Rodman was the definition of hustle. He led the league in rebounding for seven consecutive seasons, averaging 13.1 rebounds per game for his career, while in his best season he averaged an astounding 18.7.
Rodman made two All-Star teams and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Even more impressively, he played a crucial role on five championship-winning teams.
When streamer N3on asked Rodman if competition used to be tougher in the NBA he affirmed that it was and bluntly pointed out why.
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“Because it wasn’t all about money, it was all about playing, man, you know, it’s the love of the game… a lot of the old players are really bitter, and I’m not bitter, I don’t give a s—t if you make more money than me, I don’t give a damn.”
Unique among his peers
With how high the NBA salary cap has exploded in the last few decades, it’s easy to see why several former stars are bitter. Rodman clearly doesn’t mind, but many of his contemporaries do. Former players complaining they were “born in the wrong era” has become a tired trope.
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Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen are some of the biggest names to openly wonder how much more money they could have made if they played in the modern NBA.
Since Rodman’s playing days, the salary cap and the average annual salary of NBA players have gone up by more than ten times. In 1990, the average player earned a little less than million per season while today it’s over 10 million.
With that kind of money, who knows what kind of shenanigans Rodman would have gotten into. Even on a much lower salary in the ’90s, his lavish spending and trips to Las Vegas were infamous.
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Gary Payton, one of the premier guards of the ’90s, joked, “I wish I could just say, ‘Hey, mom, why did you have me so early?’ Because I look at my son now and the amount of money he’s making.” Gary and Dennis share the same perspective on the situation and agree that there’s no use in hating or being bitter about how much players are paid today.
More than a paycheck
Coming from an impoverished neighborhood in Dallas, Rodman had a tough childhood and he sincerely felt that basketball was his only escape from a life of crime and poverty. He famously said, “I thought I’d be in jail, be a drug dealer, or be dead.”
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Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t imagine being bitter, because in his mind, the NBA was his saving grace. It was more than a legendary career, where the second-round draft pick shattered all expectations and eventually became a Hall of Famer, it was his lifeline. And how could he be anything but grateful for that?
In a media landscape with so many players singing the same bitter tune, Rodman’s response is refreshing. He’s satisfied with his career and the fruits of his labor. “The Worm” seems to understand that his legacy is tied to the championship banners he helped hoist and unmatched hustle, not the number in his bank account.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.