The iconic Bulls dynasty saw one of the most dominant eras of entertaining basketball in league history. Dennis Rodman joined the Bulls after Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had already won their first historic three-peat, and together, the trio would go on to repeat the same from 1996 to 1998.
However, there was no love lost between Pippen and Rodman before the latter signed for the Chicago-based franchise following his Spurs tenure. In fact, Dennis Rodman was allegedly forced to apologize to the small forward before he could put pen to paper on his Bulls contract.
Dennis Rodman Forced to Apologize to Scottie Pippen In Person
The original bad blood between Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman dates back to the time when the Worm was playing for the Detroit Pistons. Pippen never really liked the Bad Boys Pistons’ overtly aggressive style of play. Nor was he a fan of Dennis Rodman’s antics.
They had recurring on-court altercations, but things went out of hand during Game 4 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals when Rodman shoved Pippen into the hoop stanchion, causing a horrible chin injury that would later take six stitches.
If Scottie didn’t hate Rodman enough, that incident was the last nail in the coffin. The apology letter fiasco issued by Pistons’ Matt Dobek only made things clouded, to say the least. In fact, Rodman would even later denounce writing the letter and say that he was originally forced to sign it.
But little did the two fierce rivals know that by the summer of ’95, they would find themselves fighting side by side in the red and black of Chicago.
Dennis Rodman Apologizes On Request of Phil Jackson
Per Dennis Rodman’s own account, the Worm had to apologize to Scottie Pippen in person days before finalizing his move to the Bulls. During an appearance on the Thuzio Live & Unfiltered podcast, Rodman recounted the story when Phil Jackson arranged a meetup between Rodman, Pippen, Jordan, and their families at Bulls GM Jerry Krause’s house.
“Phil came up to me and said, Dennis, you know, before we put you on the team could you do me a favor?’ I’m like, ‘What is that Phil?’ He said, ‘Could you go and tell Scottie you’re sorry? (laugher), said Rodman.
Dennis Rodman had refused to sign the open apology letter back in ‘91. This time he did not back out. The Worm went on to narrate what happened next.
“I’m like, ‘Sorry for what?’ He said, ‘You know, that series you guys had in ’91.’ I said, ‘You want me to go say sorry for that?’ He said, ‘Would you just go do it?’ I said alright. I went over to Scottie and I said, ‘Scottie, sorry about that, man, you know, pushing you out of bounds,’” Rodman said.
Scottie Pippen, being soft-spoken as ever, was quick to accept the apology. If he held any grudge against the former Pistons man, he did not express.
Scottie said, ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s OK, it’s OK, we just want to win a championship.’ He said, ‘Are you on board?’ I said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m on board.’ So that’s how I signed the contract right there, I had to apologize to Scottie. (laughter) That’s the only reason I was a Chicago Bull, I had to apologize to him, and then after that, the rest was history.”
And, so it was.
How Good was Dennis Rodman in Chicago?
Rodman played three seasons with the Chicago Bulls and won a ring for each season during his stay. That Bulls superteam was unlike any other lineup pieced together in Chicago that saw three of the league’s best stars come together to absolutely dominate the game.
Dennis Rodman brought fierce defense, rebounding prowess, and relentless energy to the Bulls. The Worm made a total of 199 appearances in the Red and Black. He averaged an impressive 15.3 rebounds, 5.2 points, and 2.8 assists per game during his Bulls career.
Dennis Rodman was the ultimate disruptor throughout his career and never was that more impactful than Game 6 of the 1992 Finals where he racked up a Finals record 11 Offensive Rebounds helping the Bulls secure the title despite MJ scoring just 22 on just 5-19 from the field. pic.twitter.com/ci3c7N0avE
— NBAStatGuy (@NBAStatGuy_) September 2, 2023
His tenacity, hustle, and knack for disrupting opponents’ offenses made him the perfect fit for the Bulls playbook. Rodman’s rebounding skills were legendary—he’d crash the boards with ferocity, securing possessions for his team. On the defensive end, Rodman was a lockdown defender, capable of guarding multiple positions with his agility and strength. He’d often be tasked with shutting down the opponent’s best scorer, allowing Jordan and Pippen to focus on offense.
Offensively, Rodman wasn’t a primary scoring option, but he excelled at creating second-chance opportunities with his offensive rebounding.
Rodman won his third, fourth, and fifth ring in the three seasons with the franchise. It wouldn’t have been possible if he had not chosen to dissolve his beef with Scottie Pippen.
