Dennis Rodman’s going to the Hall of Fame, and he’s freaking out. Which is so unlike him.
From NBC Sports: “I thought it was a joke,” the five-times NBA champion and defensive wizard told a news conference on Monday when asked about his initial reaction to learning of his selection.
“I never even dreamed of this. I never even thought of being in the Hall of Fame … When I played, I did my job, had fun, and entertained the crowd. This right here, I’m trying to soak it all in.”
Rodman’s appearance, as one might expect, differed greatly from the other Hall of Famers at Monday’s news conference.
While the other inductees were dressed in suits and ties, Rodman wore jeans, tennis shoes, a long-sleeve white shirt open to his navel, sunglasses, a black baseball cap and leopard-print scarf.
“I’m lucky to be alive, lucky to be standing here, talking to you guys. Sometimes I feel so out of place because of the way I am, the way I dress, the way I talk,” said Rodman.
“I like to go out, do certain things. The clubs, the beaches, do my thing. The guys here are very conservative, very laid back. I’m like the wild child here.”
Rodman’s life has been filled with parties, arrests, and over-the-top attire. He was wearing two nose rings on Monday and his open shirt revealed a variety of tattoos.
“I say it like it is. This is the way I dress,” said Rodman, who was ejected from games numerous times for fighting with players and bickering with officials during a 14-season career. “For me, I’ve been such a loner, such a freelance individual. I’m not disrespecting the hall, the guys here. This is me. It doesn’t make me less of an individual.”
Rodman was a two-time NBA defensive player of the year who led the league in rebounds per game for seven straight seasons. He played for five teams while winning three titles with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Detroit Pistons.
“The way I am, I thought I wouldn’t get in (the hall),” he said. “I thought they’d say, ‘Dennis, you do too many things off the court that doesn’t represent the hall.’
“I didn’t take any offence. I just blew it off. I had a great time, a great career. But they were able to look past the negativity and say, ‘He changed the game.'”
Each of the Hall of Famers, including NBA greats Chris Mullin, Artis Gilmore and Tom “Satch” Sanders, offered a long list of people that helped them in their careers.
When Rodman, who played a supporting role for Michael Jordan in Chicago and Isaiah Thomas in Detroit, was asked who he would like to thank, he paused to think.
“Me,” he said, as the audience of friends, basketball fans and reporters roared.
Enshrinement ceremonies will be held at the Springfield Massachusetts hall on August 11-13.
