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"I would roam the streets all day" - Dennis Rodman reflects on life as a homeless 20-year-old
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- "I would roam the streets all day" - Dennis Rodman reflects on life as a homeless 20-year-old
Dennis Rodman's career is a story about how one guy overcame all the difficulties life threw at him and eventually became a Hall of Famer. Even though he was born in New Jersey, Rodman grew up in one of the most impoverished areas of Dallas, the Oak Cliff section. His mother, Shirley, took it upon herself to provide for the family, often working up to four jobs just to make ends meet.
Dennis, meanwhile, as she later recalled, spent much of his time simply lying around. Eventually, she gave him an ultimatum. Either Rodman was going to find a job, enlist in the military, or go to college, or she would ruthlessly kick him out and leave him at the mercy of the streets.
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And according to Dennis, that last option eventually became reality.
"It was very simple and to the point. If you can't get a job, I'll kick you out. And, you know, eventually kicked me out," Rodman recalled in an exclusive piece with ESPN.
Dennis believed he was going to be homeless forever
Even though he occasionally worked as an overnight janitor at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, basketball was not yet on his mind.
So there he was, a 20-year-old Dennis Rodman, moving from place to place, often without food if friends did not step in to help, simply trying to survive day by day.
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Life quickly became a cycle of finding somewhere to sleep and figuring out what came next. But as he admitted, he got used to it, to the point that Dennis just envisioned himself as a homeless guy forever.
"It was difficult, because I stayed at my friend's house, I stayed at a park, or I stayed behind 7/11. I had like a bag, for clothes and stuff like that…" the Hall of Famer remembered.
"I'm just roaming the streets all day long. I got so used to being homeless that I just accepted it that it is the way it is going to be for the rest of my life," Rodman added.
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For many people, that would have been the end of the story. However, a little bit of luck from above struck. Rodman experienced an almost unbelievable growth spurt, going from 5'11" to 6'7" and basketball suddenly reappeared on his radar. He first suited up for Cooke County College before Lonn Reisman, then an assistant coach at the NAIA-level Southeastern Oklahoma State, discovered a diamond in the rough.
Rodman became a Hall of Famer
At the time, Rodman was still raw, inexperienced and rough around the edges, but even though Rodman was still learning the game, it quickly became obvious what kind of player he was. A tireless worker who attacked every loose ball with the same level of ferocity.
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During his three years at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Rodman became a three-time NAIA All-American and led the NAIA in rebounding twice. In 1986, he also guided his team to the NAIA semifinals, producing a ridiculous 46-point, 32-rebound performance as the squad finished third in the nation.
Rodman was selected with the third pick of the second round in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, a franchise that fully nurtured his raw abilities. He became a two-time champion with the "Bad Boys" before later joining the Chicago Bulls, where he added three more championships while cementing himself as one of the greatest rebounders the game has ever seen.
Sure, wherever Rodman went, chaos often followed. But long before all that, there was a young homeless kid wandering the streets of Dallas, and that chaotic environment never truly left. It just became a driving force behind the Hall of Famer's iconic journey.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
