The Hall of Fame: Should Dennis Rodman Be Inducted?
The oft-controversial, one-of-a-kind Dennis Rodman is way more well-known for his off-court antics than for anything he’s done on it.
Rodman’s cross-dressing, rump-shaking in front of the scorer’s table, tattooing and piercing himself into a bad boy image, hasn’t done anything toward improving his image as a player. However, none of this has stopped him from becoming a finalist for NBA Hall of Fame consideration. In fact, the elite rebounder and defensive player has even edged out Reggie Miller for the honor.
To make matters worse, he’s had quite a few run-ins with his coaches, team executives and the law. He’s also been in drug rehab twice. We know what you’re thinking, none of this should matter. Hall of Fame status should be based on his performance on the court only.
If only it were that simple.
The board who reviews the candidates who are up for the Hall of Fame will deny entry to anyone who has brought damage to the game. Rodman may not have a chance. However, Rodman led the league in rebounds for seven straight years and played significant roles in the championship runs of the Detroit Pistons and of course, the Michael Jordan–led Chicago Bulls. He averaged more than 13 rebounds over his career.
Despite these unique accomplishments, a league that shows more and more signs of David Stern‘s insistence upon cleaning it up every season may not be willing to commemorate the Bad As I Wanna Be author.
NFL players Lawrence Taylor and Michael Irvin faced similar issues when up for Hall of Fame consideration, and the league turned out to be forgiving. Here’s hoping the same happens for Rodman?
USED 2 BE A VERY BIG FAN OF HIS DURING HIS PISTONS CAREER, EVEN WAITED ON HIM IN A SOUTHFIELD, MI RAMS HORN. WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIS TALENT & HARD WORK AS A BALL PLAYER.. WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH HOW DOWN 2 EARTH, HUMBLE & POLITE HE WAS… VINNIE JOHNSON WAS IN THERE A FEW WEEKS B-4.. HE WAS A COMPLETE ASS TOWARDS MYSELF & THE BUS BOY WHO WAS UNDER ME.. I GAVE UP THE TABLE & TOLD MY BUS BOY 2 NOT EVEN GO NEAR HIM… SO, WHEN MR. RODMAN SAT IN MY SECTION, I WAS NOT LOOKIN FORWARD 2 IT… AS YOUNG AS I WAS, I WAS A SINGLE MOM WHO WAS CONSISTENTLY JUDGED BY OTHERS… MR. RODMANS ACTIONS JUST CLARIFIED WHAT I HAD BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG. WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME AS A HUMAN. IT WAS ALSO TIME 4 ME 2 PRACTICE WHAT I PREACHED. THANK YOU MR. RODMAN. LET HIM BE WHO & WHAT HE WANTS 2 BE. WHO’S HE HURTING ? YOUR EGOS ? INDUCT HIM BECAUSE HE GAVE IT BLOOD, SWEAT, & TEARS… HE EARNED IT. DAMN SIMPLE IF YOU ASK ME..
H*** Yeah he should be inducted. He was a fantastic basketball player, and him being crazy or marrying himself should not stand in the way of that. No one really knows him, so they can’t judge him on his personality and decisions; they can only judge them skills. Jordan in, Scottie’s in, and Dennis Rodman needs to be in.
drug rehab bad for care.thanks for sharing..
NO DOUBT DENNIS RODMAN DESERVES TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME. HE’S THE GREATEST REBOUNDER THE GAME HAS SEEN, COME ON, SEVEN CONSECUTIVE SEASONS AS TOP REBOUNDER, A RECORED THAT STILL STANDS TODAY, EVEN THOUGH DURING THAT TIME HE WAS OVERLOOKED TWICE TO PLAY FOR THE DREAM TIME TWICE AT THE 1992 AND 1996 OLYMIPC GAMES WHEN HE DESERVED TO BO PICKED AND AS A RESULT SHOULD BE INDUCTED TO THE HALL OF FAME AS CONSOLATION. SO WHAT IF HE COVERED HIMSELF IN TATTOOS, DYED HIS HAIR ALL THE COLOURS OF THE RAINDBOW AND HAS PIERCINGS ALL OVER HIS BODY. YOU SEEM TO FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THAT DENNIS DID WHAT OTHER PLAYERS DIDN’T LIKE TO DO AND THAT IS THE DIRTY WORK, HE THRIVED ON IT AND WANTED TO PERFECT IT. HE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN A POINTS SCORING MACHINE BUT EVERY TIME HE SET FOOT ON THE COURT HE GAVE 100% EVERY SINGLE TIME. DENNIS YOU HAVE MY VOTE TO BE PUT WHERE YOU BELONG.
Hes a very good player and one which you like to have on your team, but he was one dimensional. There would be loads of ex players who didnt average 13 or 14 rebs a game but maybe 10 a game and averaged 15 – 18 pts who wouldnt even be considered. Or there would some guards who would have impressive numbers also and would never be considered.Fat Lever is one who springs to mind or Buck williams. Lever did it all rebounds asists and points. Buck Williams was a double double man for years.