Dennis Rodman

Rodman has three children: Alexis, Dennis Jr., known as DJ, and Trinity. Alexis was born during his relationship with Annie Bakes, while DJ and Trinity were born to Michelle Moyer, whom Rodman married in 2003.

Rodman was married three times. He married Annie Bakes in 1992, and their marriage ended after 82 days. He married Carmen Electra in 1998, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1999. His marriage to Michelle Moyer was dissolved in 2012.

Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up with his mother, Shirley, and two sisters in Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood. His father, Philander Rodman Jr., left the family when Dennis was young. Rodman was shy and physically slight as a child, and he failed to make his high school basketball team despite trying out several times.

After high school, Rodman worked as a janitor at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. A major growth spurt led him to pursue basketball at about 20 years old. He attended Cooke County Junior College before transferring to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he became a three-time NAIA All-American and led the NAIA in rebounding in 1985 and 1986.

Rodman's performance at Southeastern Oklahoma State helped him attract attention at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he was named Most Valuable Player. The Detroit Pistons selected him in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft.

Rodman joined the Detroit Pistons, a hard-nosed team known as the "Bad Boys," and developed under coach Chuck Daly. He became a crucial defender and rebounder alongside players including Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Vinnie Johnson. The Pistons won consecutive NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, while Rodman won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1990 and 1991.

After leaving Detroit, Rodman played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1993 to 1995. He led the league in rebounding during each of those seasons and became known for guarding players across multiple positions. His increasingly unconventional behavior, including repeatedly changing his hair color, made him a major figure beyond basketball.

The Chicago Bulls acquired Rodman before the 1995-96 season to replace Horace Grant at power forward. Playing under Phil Jackson with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Rodman helped the Bulls win three straight championships from 1996 through 1998. The 1995-96 Bulls won 72 regular-season games, then an NBA record. Rodman was especially important in the 1996 NBA Finals, when he twice collected 11 offensive rebounds in a game, tying the Finals record.

Rodman finished his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He played 23 games for the Lakers in 1999 and 12 games for Dallas in 2000 before the Mavericks released him, ending his NBA career. Across 14 NBA seasons, he recorded 11,954 rebounds and won seven consecutive rebounding titles from 1992 through 1998.

Rodman entered professional wrestling through World Championship Wrestling in 1997. He joined the New World Order and teamed with Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events. He later feuded with Randy Savage and competed against Curt Hennig at an i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling event.

Rodman won the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling in 2008. He also appeared in professional wrestling and entertainment projects including The Rodman World Tour, Eddie, Double Team, Simon Sez, and Cutaway. His performance in Double Team earned three Golden Raspberry Awards.

He continued to play basketball after leaving the NBA, including stints with the Long Beach Jam, Fuerza Regia, the Orange County Crush, the Tijuana Dragons, Torpan Pojat, and the Brighton Bears. In 2011, the Detroit Pistons retired his number 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rodman attracted international attention through visits to North Korea beginning in 2013. During his first visit, he met Kim Jong Un at a basketball exhibition and described the North Korean leader as a friend. Rodman later returned to North Korea several times, including in 2017 and 2018, presenting basketball and personal diplomacy as a way to improve relations between North Korea and the United States.

His trips were controversial, particularly after his 2017 visit coincided with the release of American detainee Otto Warmbier. Rodman, the White House, and the U.S. State Department denied that the visit had been coordinated with the American government. His North Korea trips were later featured in the documentary Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in Pyongyang.