When Dennis Rodman admitted to certain town's fans "getting him off" after destroying their storied NBA franchise
Dennis Rodman took immense pride in being a difference-maker for the San Antonio Spurs during their 1995 Conference Finals series win against the LA Lakers. The Lakers faithful gave "The Worm" a hard time as an opposition player, especially in the elimination Game 6 contest, in which the Spurs won 100-88.
Rodman turned it up on both ends of the floor, going off for 12 points, 18 rebounds and five assists. Walking off the court after leading his team to a win, Rodman revealed winning in LA got him jacked. As he walked past the corridors to the locker room, he yelled (via SI Vault):
"This is what gets me so jacked, winning a series in L.A... This town gets me off."
Dennis Rodman often lacked the motivation and focus needed consistently on the court to be a difference-maker throughout his career. However, he was at his lethal best during that series against the Lakers.
Rodman wasn't just making a difference with his performance but also impacting the game with his leadership on the court. Donning an unlikely role, the NBA's 75th Anniversary team member was the floor general for the Spurs that night.
Rodman was the only NBA champion on that roster, having won the coveted prize with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. He used his experience and IQ to guide the San Antonio Spurs to their maiden finals appearance.
Click here to read SI Vault's article on Dennis Rodman's 1995 playoff series against the Lakers.
Dennis Rodman ended up playing for the LA Lakers
Dennis Rodman wasn't fond of LA and the Lakers in 1995 but ended up playing for them after the Chicago Bulls broke up their veteran roster that had completed a three-peat in 1998. Rodman joined the Lakers the following season (1998-99) during the lockout.
He played 23 games and started 11 times, averaging 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest. However, Rodman's tenure with the Purple and Gold wasn't as memorable. Despite recording a ten-game winning streak with Rodman on the roster, the 5-time NBA champion wanted out.
He wasn't a fan of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's beef. Here's what he said about this in an interview with CBS in 2017:
“So I start playing, right, we won 10 games in a row. Ten games in a row when I got there, right? I said, ‘Jerry, I gotta take a break.’ One reason: Shaq and Kobe. I couldn’t deal with those [expletives]. I’m not going to lie to you: I couldn’t deal with them.
"I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not used to this,’ right? I’m used to winning, but I can’t deal with these [expletives expletive-ing] every [expletive] game. Like, [expletive]. I mean, every, I’m like, [expletive], we’re winning, what? So I go and I say … ‘I’m so used to having calm and serenity and stuff like that.’"
According to Shaquille O'Neal, Rodman wasn't a great teammate either. O'Neal complained about the former Bulls forward's off-court antics, such as coming late to practice and games, but still getting his numbers bothered him, which made Rodman his worst teammate ever.