"I don't want to watch players shoot 50-footers, that's not basketball" Dennis Rodman on why he doesn't watch many NBA games of late
Michael Jordan gets the bulk of the credit for the Chicago Bulls' second three-peat, but it probably wouldn't have happened if not for Dennis Rodman. Arguably the greatest rebounder and hustler in basketball, Rodman is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time champion. He led the league in rebounding for seven straight years, even after changing teams. Rodman was a major force in the paint in the 1990s as even at 6-foot-7, he would outrebound certain 7-foot centers.
A Hall of Fame inductee in 2011, Dennis Rodman is considered a savant in the sport of basketball and his tales are told to this day. He has almost twice as many career rebounds as he does points. He is the ideal model of any player who gives his 100% on the floor and impacts a championship team without scoring buckets.
However, when Dennis Rodman was asked if he watched basketball lately, he gave a surprising no as his answer. He is a man who dedicated his life to the sport and is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame for that reason but doesn't watch the NBA today because it is wildly dissimilar to the game he played when he was an active player.
Dennis Rodman doesn't like watching many NBA games today
![Dennis Rodman in 2019 [Source: People.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/613ea-16307790693040-800.jpg)
Dennis Rodman appeared on the Full Send Podcast and spoke about his life, from Phil Jackson to personal relationships. When asked by one of the hosts whether he watches "a lot of NBA nowadays" and his answer was no, Rodman said:
"Not really...seriously not really...It's just very hard to watch because once you play the game the way we played with intensity...just competitiveness. But now it's more like, you know, I don't want to watch players coming down and shooting 50-footers, you know, that's not basketball."
The era in which Dennis Rodman played was almost ten times more physical than it is today. The league didn't have hand-checking rules and fouls weren't called on in the slightest of contact. It is natural to understand where Rodman is coming from. Anyone who has watched players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas dominate and play physical grueling defense, he now has to watch James Harden or Trae Young foul bait on meaningless contact and shoot 20 free throws or watch Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry launch a shot after barely crossing half-court. It does sound like anyone from that era would find today's game unworthy and Rodman is one of the many who feel this way.
Dennis Rodman added:
"I mean I understand you want to score like long-range, but my God. There is just some excitement in the game like we used to do it. But it's difficult to watch but a lot of kids love it"
Dennis Rodman was a cultural icon in the 90s. He once went to Las Vegas in the middle of a series and then came back lIke he never left. He also married himself and openly dressed in drag. He was a player unlike any other and Rodman's weekend in Las Vegas will reportedly be a feature film titled "48 hours in Vegas" after it gained popularity from 'The Last Dance' documentary.
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