Dennis Rodman Doesn’t Believe Bulls Complete 2nd 3-Peat Without Him Despite Having Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen: ‘They Really Don’t Do The Things That I Do’

NBA legend Dennis Rodman doesn’t believe the Chicago Bulls complete their second three-peat without him despite having Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. 

“You got the great Michael Jordan, the great Scottie Pippen, the great Phil Jackson, but if you take me away from this team, do they still win a championship? I don’t think so,” Rodman said in Episode 3 of The Last Dance. “I love Michael Jordan to death. I love Scottie Pippen, all these guys, but they really don’t do the things that I do. 

“I’m the only guy who does all the dirty work, taking abuse from other players. I wanna go out there and get my nose broke. I wanna get cut. Something that’s gonna really just bring out the hurt, the pain. I wanna feel that.”

One of the top rebounders in NBA history, Rodman averaged 5.2 points, 15.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks with the Bulls, who defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.

Rodman used to hurt Jordan and Pippen when he played for the Detroit Pistons. However, the three NBA icons got along well in Chicago. 

“He studied the tendencies of his opponents and teammates, planting himself in perfect rebounding position even before guys got into shooting mode,” Pippen wrote in his book. “Dennis possessed an unbelievable basketball IQ. He could have a tremendous impact on a game without scoring a single point. How many players can you say that about?”

Added Jordan in The Last Dance: “Dennis was one of the smartest guys I played with. He understood defensive strategy with all the rotations. He had no limits in terms of what he does. … He was a new character, but I knew Dennis, and I knew what he could do basketball-wise.”

Rodman finished his Hall of Fame career with averages of 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks. He made two All-Star teams, eight All-Defensive teams and two All-NBA teams. 

Rodman also won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards, five championships and seven rebounding titles.