Dennis Rodman apologized to Scottie Pippen for shoving him in Game 4 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals after the Chicago Bulls won the 1996 NBA Finals.
Rodman publicly apologized to Pippen while speaking to Chicago fans during the championship parade.
“Several days later, at the celebration at Grant Park, Dennis said something that blew me away: ‘I’d really like to thank one individual on this team that has accepted me and he didn’t have to. And I apologize for what happened five years ago.’ He was referring to the shove during Game 4 of the 1991 playoffs,” Pippen wrote in his memoir. “Apology accepted.”
Phil Jackson asked Michael Jordan and Pippen how they felt about the Bulls acquiring Rodman from the San Antonio Spurs in 1995.
Jordan and Pippen didn’t like Rodman since he used to hurt them physically while on the Detroit Pistons, but neither superstar objected to the trade.
“So, in the summer of 1995, when Phil asked how I felt about the possibility of the Bulls acquiring Dennis, who was then 34, I didn’t object,” Pippen wrote in his book. “Nor did Michael. Not that there weren’t some concerns. Of course there were. Michael’s reaction was something to the effect of ‘Dennis Rodman? Really?’ Yes, really, and it made a lot of sense.”
Rodman played three seasons with the Bulls and helped Jordan and Pippen three-peat again.
Chicago won titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
One of the top defenders and rebounders in NBA history, Rodman appeared in 199 games with the Bulls. He averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds and won three consecutive rebounding titles.
“He studied the tendencies of his opponents and teammates, planting himself in perfect rebounding position even before guys got into a 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?”
Rodman finished his career with averages of 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks. He won five championships, seven rebounding titles and two Defensive Players of the Year Awards and made two All-Star teams, eight All-Defensive teams and two All-NBA teams.
“As the days wore on, I was surprised at how reserved he was,” Pippen wrote in his book. “There is Dennis Rodman the spectacle and Dennis Rodman the man and the two are very different. Dennis kept to himself most of the time in training camp, working on his conditioning and his craft. He was often the first player to arrive at the gym and the last to leave. I never saw anyone else learn the triangle as fast as he did. Learn in? He mastered it.”
Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks during his stellar playing career. He won six championships and made seven All-Star teams, 10 All-Defensive teams and seven All-NBA teams.
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