Dennis Rodman earned millions in the NBA. For a while, however, his daughter Trinity grew up living in a car.
The U.S. women's national team forward and Olympic gold medalist shared that story on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in December 2024, and a clip from the interview went viral again this week.
Trinity was born in 2002 to Rodman and Michelle Moyer, who married the following year. Moyer filed for divorce in 2004, and it was not finalized until 2012. Trinity told host Alex Cooper that the family briefly lived with Rodman when she and her brother, DJ, were very young, but her mother left because of his partying. Moyer raised the children.
After their divorce, things worsened.
"Once we got older, when he was in our lives less, and we were seeing him once, two, three, four times a year, every time they were together, it was like it was the same s–t," Trinity Rodman said on Call Her Daddy . "It was my mom being valid in 'What the f**k are you doing? Like help us, and help your children.'"
"And he was just like, 'Oh, you just used me for my money,'" Trinity said.
Rodman further explained the bizarre situation, saying, "Imagine living in a car going to a rich school; it was the most weird thing. But we were 'living in a car', but then we could afford to stay in a motel for a little bit."
The fight over child support went on in an Orange County family court for years. According to Moyer's attorney, a court ordered Rodman in December 2009 to pay $50,000 a month in child support and found he was $100,000 behind. That amount was later cut to $4,500 a month for child and spousal support combined.
In 2011, a judge found Rodman guilty of four counts of contempt for support he owed in 2009 and 2010. In a March 2012 court filing, Moyer's attorney said Rodman owed $808,935 in back child support and $51,441 in spousal support. Rodman's attorney, Linnea Willis, disputed those numbers.
In court papers, she wrote: "Respondent Dennis Rodman is broke and cannot afford any additional fees." His 2010 tax return showed he made about $150,000 that year.
In May 2012, Rodman was sentenced to 104 hours of community service and three years of informal probation. He had to keep up with his payments as part of the sentence, and Willis said he was current on the lower amount. The two sides later settled the back support at $500,000.
Dennis Rodman's lifestyle was very well-known. In 1996, the Associated Press had already reported him to be under a $1 million debt or more. His agent, Dwight Manley, said that he got Rodman out of debt by taking control of his paychecks and putting him on a $1,000 weekly budget.
Reportedly, Rodman made about $27 million in NBA salary over his career.
The player reportedly resumed making child support payments by 2013. He also made a confession when inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, two years prior, in 2011.
"People ask if I have any regrets as a basketball player, I have one regret: I wish I was a better father."
Trinity Rodman has built her career largely on her own. In 2021, her first season with the Washington Spirit, she was named NWSL Rookie of the Year and won the league title. She took Olympic gold with the U.S. in 2024 and has twice been a finalist for the Ballon d'Or Féminin.
In January, she signed a three-year deal with the Spirit through 2028 that is reportedly worth more than $2 million a year, including bonuses. Her father's estimated net worth is about $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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The post "Help Us": Dennis Rodman's Daughter Recalled She Was Forced to Live in a Car After Bulls Legend's Divorce appeared first on EssentiallySports . Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
