Dennis Rodman's Ability Was 'Superhuman', Says College Teammate Kenny Chaffin
Dennis Rodman's rise to becoming a five-time NBA champion and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer was unlikely, but those close to him in college knew how special he could be.
Rodman attended NAIA Southeastern Oklahoma State from 1983 to '86 after having not played varsity basketball in high school. Despite that, Southeastern teammate Kenny Chaffin told Joe Mussatto of USA Today in an interview published Saturday that Rodman's talent was something to behold at the time: "Dennis came along, and superhuman is about the only way I can explain this guy's ability. He could just do some things that were not explainable. I mean, that's why the crowds came."
Rodman was a three-time NAIA All-American in college who averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds per game before going on to star in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
Lonn Reisman, who was an assistant coach at Southeastern Oklahoma State during Rodman's college career, told Mussatto the story of how he recruited Rodman.
Reisman saw Rodman practicing at Cooke County College in Gainesville, Texas, and was shocked to learn that he never played high school ball. Reisman said he thought it would be a "very, very long shot" to recruit Rodman since he figured a Division I school would see him and be compelled to offer him a scholarship.
Southeastern managed to land Rodman, though, and he was so dominant at that level that Detroit selected him in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft.
Rodman spent the first seven years of his career with the Pistons where he won a pair of championships and was twice named an All-Star. After a two-year stint with the Spurs, Rodman joined the Bulls for three seasons and was a huge part of their second championship three-peat.
While Rodman was never the offensive force in the NBA that he was in college—he averaged double-digit scoring just once in 14 seasons and averaged 7.3 points per game in 911 career contests—he is recognized as one of the greatest rebounders of all time.
Rodman averaged 13.1 rebounds per game in his career and was a seven-time rebounding champion. He was also twice named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.
Rodman was a unique character who had some peaks and valleys during his NBA career, but he was the ultimate role player who knew how to accentuate his strengths in order to help his team win.
He has been a central character in ESPN's The Last Dance docu-series, which primarily focuses on the 1997-98 Bulls, who won their third consecutive championship before the likes of Rodman, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen moved on.
More than 20 years after that season, Rodman remains a pop culture and NBA icon not only because of his personality and antics but also because of his on-court play.
