Is Dennis Rodman Worthy of Being a Basketball Hall of Famer?
This photo sums up Dennis Rodman as a basketball player in a nutshell.
Rodman, at 6'8", was a tenacious rebounder, defender, and competitor.
His oddball lifestyle off the court may hurt him in terms of his basketball legacy.
A five-time NBA champion in six NBA Finals appearances, he was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice, a seven-time NBA All-Defensive First Teamer, an All-Defensive Second Teamer, a two-time All-NBA Third Teamer, a two-time All-Star, and won seven consecutive league rebounding titles.
He also led the league in field goal percentage in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons.
While Rodman's offensive game was essentially non-existent, (his career high was 11.6 points per game during his sophomore NBA season) he averaged 13.1 rebounds per game for his career, good for 11th all-time in the NBA.
From 1990 through 2000 (the last season of his career), Rodman never averaged fewer than 11.2 rebounds per game.
During a four-year stretch, he averaged 18.7, 18.3, 17.3, and 16.8 rebounds per game.
For perspective, Orlando's Dwight Howard led the NBA in rebounding this past season, averaging 13.8 rebounds a night.
"The Worm" shares an NBA Finals record with 11 offensive rebounds in a single game, having done it twice during the 1996 Finals as a member of the Bulls.
His single-game career high for rebounds is 34.
Dennis Rodman is arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history, yet his lack of offensive talent combined with his well-documented, bizarre antics off the court keep him from being mentioned with the rest of the NBA's greatest players.
Even though he may be more well-known for his tattoos, dyed hair, piercings, and wedding dresses, there's no question that Rodman is one of the premier "hard-nosed" players to ever play the game.
They say defense wins championships.
Rodman played defense.
Rodman won five championships.
So, is Dennis Rodman Basketball Hall of Fame material?
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