"I would've locked his a** up" - When Dennis Rodman failed lie detector test talking about guarding LeBron James
Not many were successful in slowing down LeBron James, however, Dennis Rodman would beg to disagree with that notion. During a 2019 interview with Overtime, Rodman took a lie detector test where he was asked if he could lock down the four-time MVP. Upon his confident response of being capable of doing so, the machine signaled a lie.
The Chicago Bulls legend played in the league from 1986-2000 where he established himself as one of the premier defensive athletes at the time. Throughout his career, he went against the best offensive players in the NBA, providing him with the knowledge and experience to back up his stance. However, his comments became all the more interesting when the lie detector turned red.
"(6:32) I would've locked his a** up," Rodman said. "LeBron is so easy to play. He's so f**king easy to play, he don't have any moves. ... His game was too simple, he was just big. Now, 260 whatever, six-foot-eight, six-foot-nine, that's the only thing he got pretty much. I played against seven-foot guys, it don't even matter."
Rodman pointed out in the video how the machine stopped when he was expounding on his stance. Despite not being the tallest defender, Dennis Rodman relied on his basketball IQ to be an effective defender. He would carefully time his blocks and deflections to the point that his positioning on the court was also done from a tactical standpoint.
Dennis Rodman doesn't see LeBron James thriving in the 80's and 90's basketball eras
During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Dennis Rodman shared his stance on the "Greatest of All Time" debate between Michael Jordan and Lebron James.
"It's really not a comparison," Rodman said. "If LeBron was playing in the 80's or early 90's, he's just an average player. But to do what Mike has done ... what he did was more charisma, is more artistic and stuff like that. LeBron is more like ... boom. There's no flash to his game. He's a great player, don't get me wrong."
Some analysts and past players have pointed to how much more physical the game was played back then compared to the modern age. Meanwhile, the other side of the debate highlights how the game has evolved to be smarter at both ends of the court while enhancing the talent level of each player.
Dennis Rodman played a lot of basketball during his peak and has a body of work backing him up as well. Eras in basketball vary, whether it's about the playing style or the talent caliber present in the league.
However, he wanted to reiterate the importance of being a skilled player back then to win games and not to solely rely on one's physicality.