Dennis Rodman had nothing to prove as a basketball player by the time he reached his 40s. He won five NBA titles, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and made seven All-Defensive First Teams as a player focused more on rebounding and defense than on scoring.
When he hung up his jersey, Rodman tried pro wrestling and acting, and made many other stops in smaller basketball leagues while looking for ways to stay around the game. One of those stops came with the New Orleans Hornets , where a young JR Smith was beginning his career.
Smith was only 17 when he was drafted by the Pelicans ahead of the 2004-05 season. Rodman was 43 and was supposed to be part of their Summer League team.
However, Smith could not even have the former NBA champion practice with him. Still, he did get one memory of Rodman that eventually became the most entertaining story of his Summer League career.
The five-time champion was already one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, and his reputation as a rebounder and defensive specialist was second to none. So when a young Smith found out he was supposed to join his Summer League team, he probably expected to learn a thing or two from the veteran.
Instead, Rodman showed up for essentially one reason: to collect his per diem.
"Dennis Rodman was supposed to be on my Summer League team, my rookie year. I was 17 years old," Smith said during a July 2022 appearance on Gilbert Arenas' "No Chill" podcast . "I've seen this man one time. The first day he got the per diem, never seen him again"
At 17, Smith was still getting his first taste of professional basketball. While he was taking the opportunity seriously and trying to figure out life as a pro, Rodman treated the entire Summer League stint like a quick stop on his schedule.
"I had like $1,600 at 17. I had my little cash… and I was like, 'what?'" he added. "[Then] I seen Dennis Rodman get on the van, got his little envelope, got off. I never seen him again."
Rodman later played for teams such as the ABA's Long Beach Jam and Orange County Crush, while also making stops in Mexico, Finland and the UK.
Still, his one-day Summer League stint showed just how differently he viewed the game by that point. For Smith, however, it became one of the most memorable stories from his NBA career.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
