The enigmatic heyoka that is Dennis Rodman

In episodes three and four of The Last Dance documentary, it was fascinating learning how the legendary Michael Jordan finally beat the Detroit Pistons. Though the documentary is centralized around MJ, the real star of episodes three and four is none other than Dennis Rodman.

The ‘heyoka’ of the Chicago Bulls, was truly ahead of his time.

Society today is more accepting to what goes against the grain of social norms and constructs than ever before, and not many people were more against the grain than Dennis Rodman.

From extravagant hair colors, cross dressing, and taking Vegas vacations in the middle of the NBA season; Rodman couldn’t have been more misunderstood by the public. The documentary shines a light on his story and depicts how the Bulls accepted Rodman’s differences.

Former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson referred to Rodman as a “heyoka”, a term meaning backward-walking man in Indian culture.

Rodman was just different.

He was free spirited, simple, and the absolute best rebounder the game has ever seen. Rodman embraced a role that even Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wouldn’t; he did the dirty work. Full extension dives for loose balls, scrapping for rebounds, and just being a menace on the court without even scoring a bucket. Standing at six feet seven inches tall, just an inch taller than MJ, Rodman played like the biggest person on the court with his rebounding and defense.

A tenacious enigma on the court, Rodman was just that off the floor too.

How many players would tell Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson that they needed a Vegas vacation in the midst of the season? Not wanted, but needed, because Rodman needed to let loose.

Now think of who would’ve actually received the OK to go on a 48-hour Vegas vacation.

Rodman did, thanks to Jackson’s understanding nature. But being the party animal he is, Rodman stayed longer than the allotted time given. So to top it off, MJ went to Vegas to bring Rodman back, and with pj bottoms still on, Rodman stepped back on the practice court and picked up where he left off.

No matter what, Rodman was always focused; sometimes he just got bored with basketball and needed a vacation in Vegas with Carmen Electra, his girlfriend at the time. Rodman is the embodiment of a quote I’m personally fond of that goes, “play hard, work harder, so we can play hard again.”

Think about the NBA today. Imagine any player walking through the arena tunnel with a can of Miller beer in hand, talking to a reporter about how bored he gets. That’s something we can only imagine today, when Rodman was that reality.

A free spirit of life, yet a savage when it was time to play ball, and party.

In a snippet, Rodman said how he’d play basketball for free, but players get paid to deal with the media, Rodman had a more suiting word for it in the snippet, but overall he was frustrated. Frustrated with being under the microscope of fans and media; I mean, he was dating celebrities, cross dressing with makeup, and playing in the NBA. Imagine if Rodman played today with social media being as prevalent as it is, he’d be a constant topic on every sports talk show.

He once was on the brink of suicide; Rodman was found outside Detroit’s stadium in his truck, asleep, with his gun next to him. He was in a ‘lost place’ at the time, and once he found himself, he became the Rodman we know today. When he left the Pistons, Rodman really embraced his differences and no longer tried to conform to what everybody wanted him to be.

Rodman had battles with depression, drinking, and partying but managed to overcome it all to become arguably the most interesting man in sports and perhaps the world. Think otherwise? Then you must not know that Rodman is also friends with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.

His story is elaborate, unique, and humorous when you learn about his antics and partying; some things Rodman did will never be duplicated. There are countless stories about Rodman you can look up and after watching The Last Dance; it’s safe to say there will be nobody more enigmatic in all of sports than Dennis Rodman.

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