“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman”- Shaquille O'Neal describes 5x NBA Champion as a delinquent teammate, admiringly envies his menacing game after an offbeat training regime
Over the course of his 20-year NBA career, Shaquille O'Neal won several accolades. The list includes four NBA championships, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, and an NBA MVP en route to his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Shaq's career was without a doubt a historic one, but it also saw him bounce around to six different teams. This gave Big Diesel an opportunity to share a locker room with many talented teammates.
According to O'Neal, one teammate stands out above the rest when it comes to the worst teammate of all time: Dennis Rodman. The pair didn't spend much time together, with Rodman joining the Lakers solely for the shortened 1998-99 season following the infamous lockout of the late nineties. But it was clearly enough time for Shaquille O'Neal to develop an opinion on Rodman.
During a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, O'Neal answered the question of who was his worst teammate of all time, saying:
“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman. He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you letting this one guy do whatever he wants.
"So we had to be there an hour before the game. He’d come in 15 minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds.”
Rodman was, of course, notoriously free-spirited, even going so far as to take a 48-hour trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals. Despite his off-court antics and lack of a structured basketball-focused routine, Rodman helped lead both the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls to numerous championships. He won two with the Pistons and three with the Bulls towards the end of his career.
Shaquille O'Neal & Dennis Rodman - A Powerhouse Rebounding Duo
After spending the first four years of his career with the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O'Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers after entering free agency ahead of the 1996-97 NBA season.
The team built on the momentum of the O'Neal signing by drafting Lower Merion standout Kobe Bryant. Two years later, the franchise acquired Dennis Rodman. That set the stage for the ensuing conflict between Rodman and O'Neal during the 1998-99 season.
In what was his penultimate season in the league, Rodman played in just 23 games for the Lakers. He averaged 28 minutes per game despite only starting 11 times. Despite that, Rodman still averaged eleven rebounds a game. The stat marked the first time in seven seasons that Rodman hadn't led the league in rebounds per game.
For what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal doesn't have the cleanest teammate image either. Over the years, numerous players have attested to the fact that O'Neal would frequently prank teammates by making appearances 'in the buff' much to the locker room's protests.
From running around naked to hugging teammates in the locker room before dressing, Shaquille O'Neal's reputation is certainly questionable itself.