There was no way Dennis Rodman was going to enter the Hall of Fame and not do something crazy to commemorate the occasion.
The rebounding specialist for the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys and part of the second three-peat of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls has always been a bit out there. From his affinity for rebounding, colored hair and love of wedding dresses and cross-dressing, Rodman is one of the true characters in NBA history.
He is not in the Hall of Fame for that. Rather, he is in the Hall of Fame for averaging 13.1 rebounds per game for his career and pulling down a 23.4 percent total rebound rate. The guy was simply a machine and immovable force under the basket.
Still Rodman, despite promising to be on his best behavior, is not going to pass up the opportunity to be, well, himself. Just because he will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a wedding dress does not mean Rodman is not going to make the night memorable.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes Rodman plans to arrive at today’s induction ceremony by helicopter. This, of course, after he failed to convince Springfield, Mass., to close down the streets so he could ride in on a float. Rodman also apparently hired acrobats and will have some of his more reserved outfits on display. He also plans on flying in close friends Howard Stern and Penny Marshall. This will all cost him about $60,000.
If you are entering the Hall of Fame, you might as well do it in style. And if there is one player who could probably get away with these antics, it might be Rodman.
Really, what better way is there to celebrate Rodman’s career and induction into the Hall of Fame than some outlandish entrance with Howard Stern in attendance? Doesn’t that absolutely define who Rodman was throughout his career? He was a party animal and wild man off the court. On the court, he was a little more serious (emphasis on little) and did his job with grit and determination. I would expect his speech to reflect that.
Rodman has never apologized for who he is. He is just a strange dude and does not care what others think about him. He certainly earned his spot into the Hall of Fame with his strong defensive play and rebounding — the best rebounder of his generation.
Why not let him celebrate a little bit?
The sometimes stodgy Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony needs to be livened up a bit. Of course, Rodman is the one to do that.
