SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 09: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz looks on during a game against the Toronto Raptors at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 9, 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Donovan Mitchell Jokes Dennis Rodman Invented Load Management with Vegas Trip

Megan ArmstrongApr 26, 2020

Dennis Rodman took a 48-hour vacation to Las Vegas during the 1997-98 NBA season.

Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said the Hall of Fame forward "invented load management," a tactic now used widely in the league to rest star players in the regular season and preserve them for playoff runs:

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Michael Jordan explained the ordeal during Sunday night's airing of The Last Dance on ESPN:

Rodman's role for the Chicago Bulls was heightened in the early goings of that season because Scottie Pippen was recovering from an October foot surgery:

"Dennis held us together when Scottie was out," former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson said. "He had to really focus to make us as competitive as we were."

The Last Dance follows the Bulls' 1990s dynasty that captured six NBA titles, capped by their 1998 NBA Finals victory over the Jazz.

ESPN is airing two new episodes of the documentary every Sunday through May 17.