Michael Jordan loved Dennis Rodman so much as a player and teammate that he had no issue dealing with his eccentric personality: ‘His dresses doesn’t bother me, his hair doesn’t bother me’

March 25, 2025

NBA icon Michael Jordan loved Dennis Rodman so much as a player and teammate that he had no issue dealing with his eccentric personality.

Jordan and Rodman were teammates on the Chicago Bulls from 1995-96 to 1997-98. The Hall of Famers won three straight championships together.

“His dresses doesn’t bother me,” Jordan said about Rodman. “His hair doesn’t bother me. Sure, I mean, he’s gonna go wacko every now and then. We’ve come to live with that. We’ve come to accept that. But you can’t find another player on the basketball court that works just as hard as Dennis Rodman. Gives 110%, dives at loose balls even if he can’t get them. That’s Dennis Rodman. So I don’t have a problem with Dennis, and I don’t think Phil does. I don’t think Scottie does. We’ve been able to control him to some degree, and we’re here for champions back-to-back.”

The Bulls acquired Rodman from the San Antonio Spurs in 1995. Rodman appeared in 199 games with Chicago. He averaged 5.2 points, 15.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks.

Behind Jordan, Rodman and Scottie Pippen, the Bulls beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.

“Dennis was one of the smartest guys I played with,” Jordan said in The Last Dance doc about Rodman. “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.”

Jordan and Pippen guided the Bulls to three consecutive championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. While Rodman has a lot of respect for Jordan and Pippen, he doesn’t think Chicago three-peats for a second time without him.

“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 The Last Dance doc. “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.”

Rodman played for the Detroit Pistons, Spurs, Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks and won five championships and two Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

Meanwhile, Jordan played for the Bulls (twice) and Washington Wizards. The NBA legend averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks and won six rings, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, three steals titles and 10 scoring titles.