Dirk Nowitzki recalls Dennis Rodman's wild routine before games during brief stint with Mavericks: "Goes to take a shower"

Dennis Rodman was one of the most unique personalities in NBA history. In the latter part of his career, he spent two seasons with different teams and got a chance to play for the Dallas Mavericks. Franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki played alongside Rodman, who had an interesting basketball routine.

During the 1999-00 season, the Mavs were bought by Mark Cuban. His goal was to grow the team and interestingly thought of bringing in Rodman, who had played for the LA Lakers the previous season.

Rodman played for his hometown team for only 12 games, but it was one of the most memorable moments in the league. Nowitzki remembers the five-time champion's quirks, which surprised the entire team.

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"I'm a big Chicago Bulls fan in the 90s. He was one of my heroes." Nowitzki said. "Cubes (Mark Cuban) bought the team my second year, halfway through. And he's like, 'We need to make a splash here. We need to get on the map. This is a Cowboys town, I want to bring the Mavs back. I think I'm gonna sign Dennis Rodman.'

"He ended up doing it, and it was quite an experience. We usually meet with Nellie (coach Don Nelson) 40 minutes before the game. The first game we have Rodman, we're all excited he's starting. Fortyiminute rolls around, he gets up, Nellie's about to start film, Rodman goes up and gets take a shower. ... He comes back. He didn't see the video. He doesn't know the coverages."

According to the Mavs legend, Rodman would consistently take a shower 40 minutes before the game and wouldn't know what to do defensively. Even with that routine, The Worm still played his brand of basketball and dominated the boards each night. In his 12-game stint, the Hall of Fame forward averaged 14.3 rebounds.

You might also be interested in reading this: $6.2 billion-worth Mark Cuban reveals Dennis Rodman taught him more about PR and marketing than an MBA

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Dennis Rodman thinks Gregg Popovich traded him to ruin the Bulls

Before Dennis Rodman helped Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win three titles, he spent two seasons playing for the San Antonio Spurs. His time with the Spurs was memorable but for the bad memories. He didn't get along well with the people in the franchise, especially Gregg Popovich.

Pop was the general manager of the team then and had enough of Rodman's antics. He was traded to the Bulls before the start of the 1995-96 season. According to the forward, he believes that Pop's decision to trade him was for him to ruin the Chicago team.

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"I know why he did that," Rodman said. "I know why Popovich did that to me. You think I'm going to ruin this team? Still believe that to this day. He did that because he thought that I was going to ruin that team."

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No one has claimed if it's true or not, but the trade worked out well for Rodman. He added three more rings and helped solidify Jordan as one of the best players in history.

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