Dennis Rodman's stats: Taking a closer look at The Worm's insane rebounding skills throughout his career
NBA legend Dennis Rodman is known as one of the greatest rebounders of all time. Rodman averaged 13.1 rebounds per game in 911 games over his illustrious 14-year career with Detroit, San Antonio, Chicago, LA (Lakers) and Dallas. Rodman also had a few seasons that were particularly noteworthy due to his gaudy rebounding totals.
Here is a breakdown of how Rodman’s elite rebounding progressed throughout the different stops in his career.
Dennis Rodman’s stats in Detroit
Rodman was drafted 27th by the Detroit Pistons in 1986 and went on to play seven seasons with Detroit from 1986 to 1993. His stats were a bit lower over his first four seasons as he was mostly coming off the bench. He averaged 9.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game on 57.1% shooting. His first four seasons marked the only seasons in his career that he averaged less than 10.0 rebounds per game.
However, Rodman still helped Detroit win two championships over his first four seasons as part of the “Bad Boys” Pistons teams in 1989 and 1990. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 for his tenacious rebounding and defensive energy.
Over his last three seasons in Detroit, Rodman became a regular starter. He averaged 8.6 points and a whopping 16.3 rebounds per game to go along with 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He also won his second straight DPOTY award in 1991. Rodman’s rebounding peaked in Detroit with a career-high 18.7 rebounds per game in the 1991-1992 season. To this day, that number remains the highest rebounding average in a single season since 1973.
Rodman’s stats in San Antonio
In 1993, Rodman was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he played for two seasons. Rodman averaged 5.6 points, 17.1 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game for the Spurs. He peaked with an average of 17.3 rebounds per game for the Spurs in the 1993-1994 season. However, things didn’t work out for Rodman in San Antonio as he had disagreements with the Spurs' front office. Rodman also struggled with attitude issues throughout his time with the Spurs.
Rodman’s stats in Chicago
"The Worm" was eventually traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 where he would go on to help the Bulls complete their second 3-peat from 1996 to 1998. Rodman averaged 5.2 points, 15.3 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game over three seasons with Chicago. His rebounding peaked in the 1996-1997 season for the Bulls when he averaged 16.1 rebounds per game.
Dennis Rodman’s stats in LA and Dallas
In 1999, Rodman signed with the LA Lakers in free agency after being waived by Chicago. He only played in 23 games for LA, averaging 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game before being waived again. He later signed with Dallas, where he played just 12 games the following season before being waived over attitude issues and eventually retiring. Rodman averaged 2.8 points and 14.3 rebounds per game over his final season in Dallas.
Rodman’s career rebounding accomplishments
Over his 14-year NBA career, Rodman finished as a seven-time rebounding champion from 1992 to 1998. This included him having 158 games with 20 or more rebounds and five games with 30 or more rebounds throughout his career. His career-high in rebounding in a single game was 34 rebounds for Detroit against Indiana on March 4, 1992.
Despite averaging just 7.3 points per game in his career, Rodman’s defence and rebounding allowed him to make two All-Star teams in 1990 and 1992. He also made two All-NBA third teams in 1992 and 1995.
Following his career, Dennis Rodman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named a member of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team which recognized the 75 greatest players in NBA history.
Also read: Tracking the evolution of Dennis Rodman's stats during Chicago Bulls' 2x three-peat that signify his importance to the dynasty