Adjusting to life in the NBA as a rookie is hard for every first-year player, but imagine what Dennis Rodman went through in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals when he was tasked with guarding prime Larry Bird .
Sure, he was 25-years-old at the time, but he was still a rookie, a 27th overall pick in the second round, trying to find the best way to contribute on an NBA team.
He did contribute, but guarding Larry Legend during his peak is something that was hard for a seasoned veteran, let alone a first-year player.
"That was my whole job, to guard the toughest guy on the court on other teams... So, I'm guarding him and every time I turn my head, he's over there on the three-point line, he said, 'I'm over here, rook,'" Rodman narrated the story three years ago at the Wilmington Public Library.
Being an inexperienced player, a frustrated Rodman said that Bird would be viewed as just another player if he were black , implying that his skin color was the main reason everyone praised him so much.
Now, more than three decades later, he regrets what he said.
"I made the most wrong decision a person could make... I didn't know what I was saying because I was so young and stupid," Rodman admitted.
That 1987 Eastern Conference finals series between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons was one of the greatest in NBA history because it was a seven-game war between the two most talented teams in the East at the time.
Bird was at his best that whole year and Game 7 was no different. He finished with a near triple-double as he scored (13-24 from the field) 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. On the other hand, Rodman played only 18 minutes, committed four fouls trying to stop Bird and finished with three points and zero rebounds, which is crazy to even write about Rodman since he later in his career became one of the greatest rebounders in the history of basketball.
So, it's not surprising that emotions got the better of Dennis at the time, but he still appreciated the way the team's best player, Isiah Thomas, came into his defense. He basically agreed with him and that way took the heat from Dennis and put it on his shoulders since he was Detroit's biggest star.
"He took all that heat from me. He said, 'Dennis, just get in your car, drive back to Oklahoma and stay there...' My career escalated from there," Rodman explained
It sure did as Dennis became a Hall of Fame player, but also knew how to put attention on himself with his eccentric behaviour, parties, wild haircuts, outfits and other interesting situations .
That version of Rodman became more evident when he left Detroit, though. As a basketball player, Dennis became a force with the Pistons, as evidenced by his key role in back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.
He had to wait six more years to win another, but he had another key role in a legendary run to secure a second three-peat for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998.
And who knows, if Bird didn't torch him as a rookie, maybe Dennis' fire would've never been lit as much as it was during his legendary career.ing he wishes he had done differently because it was uncalled for and unnecessary.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
