"He smelled like garbage truck water" - Shaquille O'Neal dubs Dennis Rodman as standout superstar for quirky reason
During Allen Iverson's guest appearance on Shaquille O'Neal's podcast, the two ex-NBA superstars took the time to discuss a hypothetical situation wherein they played together. The conversation evolved into which superstars would fit well in a starting five with them and Shaq named Dennis Rodman as their power forward.
However, the conversation immediately took another turn as Shaq started telling crazy stories about Rodman. Shaq recalled his time playing with Rodman during the 1998-99 season with the LA Lakers.
The former Lakers center shared how Rodman would go to clubs after games without showering and still somehow end up with beautiful women.
"[Dennis Rodman] will get you 25 rebounds, stinking like a [expletive], put his clothes on and go to the club and have the baddest women I've ever seen in my life. Surrounded him, hugging him, kissing him.
Shaquille O'Neal's co-host Adam Lefkoe weighed in with a joke, saying that the reason why Shaq disliked Rodman was because women paid him more attention.
"No," Shaq responded. "this [expletive] would stink like garbage truck water and he got models on him at the club. I was a party guy, but I ain't never seen what I'd seen with Dennis Rodman. I was actually mad."
Also read: "The best one out of all of us": 4x NBA champ Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, gives his verdict on the best hooper in the family
Looking back at the time Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Rodman played together on the Lakers
Dennis Rodman signed with the LA Lakers before the 1999 lockout-shortened season joining Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Each team played only 50 games that year, with Rodman suiting up for 23 of them.
Rodman helped the Lakers to a 31-19 record and a playoff berth with his rebounding average of 11.2 per game. Shaq trailed him with an average of 10.7 rebounds.
The Lakers were poised to have a deep postseason run that year but Rodman ended up being cut before the playoffs. His behavior off the court was cited as a reason, especially as he repeatedly showed up late to practices.
In the playoffs, the Lakers were able to advance to the conference semi-finals where they faced off against the eventual champions, San Antonio Spurs.
LA ended up getting swept by the Spurs who boasted a roster that had Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The Lakers had trouble defending the paint against them and one can't help but wonder if things had gone differently if Rodman had stayed.
Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Rodman could have done a better job defending against the Spurs' twin towers as Rodman was a well-known lockdown defender. The pair could have taken turns guarding and wearing down Duncan as he was the biggest threat at the time.
One can't help but wonder how Rodman could have affected Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's legacy if he and the Lakers were able to work things out.