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findthefuninlife · 4 years ago

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Short Story (Been A While)

Remember This Feeling

Trees flew by the window of the car, blurs of branches and railings were all that were seen for the first six hours of the road trip. The sky went from sunny clear bright blue to gloomy dull shades of red, blue, yellow mixes. I sat in the back seat, one leg perched on top of my other, book in my lap and pen rattling against my top and bottom teeth, a nervous habit. Luckily, in my writing process it was a more well known habit for me to do this when I couldn’t think of the next turn of events. This wasn’t an inaccurate observation, truthfully it was both of these but mostly the nervousness.

She sat next to me staring out the window short blonde hair falling just before her shoulders. She could stare at the wilderness, natural environment for hours and lose herself in it. You could almost see the intoxication in her eyes, you couldn’t tell what she saw, but there was a different kind of fire in them when she was out there. Her elbow on the armrest, head propped up on her hand, pinky slightly tugging at her lower lip. She wore black sweat pants, a red hoodie with white lettering on the sleeves. Her legs were curled under her, feet sitting on the seat. She kicked off her shoes after the first hour of the ride. The string from her hoodie rested in her mouth, she wasn’t chewing on it, just had it there, a trademark I’m sure.

Aaaaaand I’m staring— again. I tore my eyes away and looked back at my half filled pages titled, “It’s Been A While”. It’s been a while since a lot of things. I haven’t been out in god knows how long, I haven’t written in even longer. Words on paper gave me a purpose, a moment of clarity, drive to be more than I ever thought I could be. In the times that words appeared on canvas I felt like I was the most important person in the world, to every character I wrote about I was their savior, their justice, their desires, everything. Writing allowed for a door to a place that I could never really be.

The eyes that were staring at me in the rear view mirror, concerned but familiar told me that in doing this was out of character or such an older sight that it’s a need for concern. Amy, my ever long best friend, friend of all friends could quote me before I even spoke sometimes. It was incredibly annoying with arguments but it’s a sign of true growth and friendship. Her husband in the passenger seat next to her was asleep, as always in these long rides to who knows where. Jules, short of Julian never had the patience or interest in car games, passing time by distracting yourself with trivial outside observations. He was calculated, quiet but get a few drinks in him and he’d be bouncing off the walls and unexpectedly the loudest person in the bar. Though the sober, quiet demeanor was often mistaken for rudeness or dislike, he proved to be a sweet guy overall. I gave him my blessing to marry my best friend only after meeting with him a few times.

A small cough came from the driver, “So,” no good conversation ever starts with ‘so’ I thought to myself.

“So, what are you writing about Niko?” Amy, still looking back at me through the rear view mirror said breaking the silence within the car.

“It’s... uhm, y-ya’ know just a short story.” Great, now I’m stammering for some reason. Sam, the friend of Amy that was invited to go on the trip with us looked up and away from the window for the first time and took a quick glance at me with my notebook and pen in hand. Her eyes were green, blue, gold, strikingly beautiful. Her lips looked soft, a shade of pink coated on top, a slight line dividing the bottom lip. The hoodie she wore held the back hairs up giving it more volume. I thought to myself that they reminded me of a golden waterfall.

“But, uh how’s driving? Do you need to switch off anytime soon?” Horribly basic question in a car ride, there was something wittier on tongue but I decided to keep things mellow for now.

“Maybe next stop, Jules’s quiet snoring tires me out sometimes, but I’m good for now. Samantha! You’re so quiet, why don’t you guys play a game or something?!” Amy, was notorious for setting people up for awkward conversations, cutting the tensions of others like it was sport.

“Well, I mean I don’t re-” Sam had started to say going wide eyed for a bit, clearly being off guard. Amy strikes again.

“So, have you ever.. have you ever..” Geez why am I stuttering so damn bad, “have you ever been outside of Delaware?” See, nothing ever good comes from a conversation that starts with “So.” Who the hell asks a question like that.

“I haven’t actually.” She looked outside again breaking eye contact with me and staring again back at the passing trees.

We were on our way out of the state to visit Amy’s brother who was in the military in Virginia. He invited her to see the ships in the ship yard and see his work station.

I started to sink back into my seat when I realized that was probably the end of the conversation and everything was starting to feel awkward. I started a side conversation with this beautiful girl and that was the best opening I had?

“Have you ever been outside the state?” Sam had asked still looking out.

“I have, a few times, but I always end up back home.” I was surprised, I rarely get asked questions in conversations I think are going down hill. Hell, most of the time it’s just me asking and the other just answers. I really need to get a life.

We both tried talking then stopping each other’s sentence.

“No, you go first.”

“No really it’s fine. It was a stupid question”

“No, no please go.”

This went on until Amy couldn’t take it anymore, a small smile starting to creep on her face in watching. “Alright! Sam then Niko!”

We both stopped when we both realized that it wasn’t just us in this conversation. Feeling like a deer in head lights I simply sat back in my seat.

Well, there goes the conversation. Thanks Ame's— now what? Peaking over I saw that she didn't turn back to the window, instead she twirled her hoodie strings in her fingers. I wanted to give it a shot; I scribbled quickly in my notebook, meticulous to not write too much to make it seem like I was going to be diving back into my literature. I tore the page out and held it in my hand. I leaned forward putting my face close to Amy, "Whatcha doing?!" The sudden jerk forward spooked her and she let out a tiny yelp. As I leaned forward I was hoping to obscure her view as I passed the note to Sam. Luckily for me, she took it out of my hand. I continued to chat up Ame's until I felt like my paper ripping was long forgotten.

The car ride went smoothly all the way up to the hotel.

We got out, stretched our legs and were in for the night.

I sat up in bed as I always did, notebook open in front of me, my thoughts written across the pages. I raked my hands through my hair hoping for more thoughts to jingle their way out of me as I did. The words "Its Been A While" titled the page. "Ya' know I used to write before all of this. Now I just scribble and tear pages out." I spoke to no one in particular in my empty room. Sometimes it was easier saying my thoughts as I wrote them out, sometimes my what I said I didn't want recorded. I'd prefer the words to fade since the nightmares won't. Maybe it'll too make them less real.

A knock at the door brought me out of screen of writers block. Before I got up to answer a slip of paper flew under the door. I'm not going to lie, a spark started in my chest and a small smile crept up on my face. I hopped out of bed flipping my notebook over on the floor. I picked up the note and unfolded it. In the car I passed a message saying, "Tell me a story" in response I saw three separate lines where she started to write and scribbled it out. Finally at the bottom it said, "Meet me in lobby then." I threw on some workout clothes and a ball cap and went out. As soon as the door shut behind me I remembered my key card to the room sitting on the nightstand. "Guess there's no going back now. "

Rounding the corner I took the fire escape down two sets of stairs and came into the lobby. It was about 10 o' clock at night, the place was empty. One receptionist sat at the kiosk legs propped on the counter reading a People's magazine. The only other person in the room was Sam, standing in the middle of the lobby by the fire place. She hadnt changed from the outfit we traveled in. I walked up unfolding the piece of paper she left me. “This must be quite the story.” She turned and smiled, “I can’t promise it’ll be amazing, but I’m not much of a writer so I thought I’d tell it to you instead.”

We ended up walking around the hotel building, then down to the pier. It was awkward at first if I’m being honest but this was a strange circumstance to begin with. I asked her what story I was in for and she responded by just talking. It started with her college days, her aspiration to leave the east coast, her troubles with choosing a major, her dream of becoming a music teacher. She didn’t have siblings, her dad worked all the time and she was kind of an introvert oddly enough since she was talking so much.

“Am I talking a lot?” She turned back at me a few steps behind and asked.

“No, not at all. College, dreams, siblings, the whole lot, I know you’re life now.” I just speculated and said what was on my mind. It’s moments like these that I hate myself and my impulses. As I said it I thought of how rude it could seem or even sarcastic in nature, which it truly wasn’t but, there it goes.

“Oh, we’ve got a comedian. Here you have a pretty girl telling you her whole life story and that’s how you respond to it?” She said with a smile.

“I am quite funny when I’m not brooding I must admit. You life sounds like something I’ve never heard before. Ame’s told me about, but small stuff, like that you were pretty and a good person, you know only things that aren’t important.”

“You do brood, for all the hours I’ve known you... aaall,” she looked at her watch then, “6 hours of knowing you.”

“6 hours and I know your whole life story. I must be quite the detective or you must quite lonely.”

It must’ve been how I said it because she perked up at that, whether it was mildly insulting, maybe true, but she responded with, “Are you quite lonely?”

I don’t know what possessed her to ask but, she saw through it, my statement to myself. The sun would come up soon, somehow the night passed us by as we walked and talked. “I am, only when I’m by myself.”

“Well that’s obvious.”

“Well you asked.”

“You know what I mean. What’s the doom and gloom of late?”

“Of late? You mean by my 8 hours of knowing you?”

This was the first time she stammered in all of the talking she did. “W-well yes, I mean, that and...”

I already knew what she was going to say.

She continued, “... and Amy told me about your brother. He—”

I cut her off with, “Enough." It came out harsher than intended but not by much. "I appreciate the chance to get to know you, Let's get going to the hotel.”

She began to speak but I already spun around and started walking. I was done with the conversation, a small heat building in my chest burning away the spark of lightning that was there. I was taller than she was and I knew my natural stride would create a good distance between us so I kept her behind me. I let the sound of footsteps behind me and the morning birds chirping fade into the background.

"Hey!" A piercing sound broke my tsunami of thoughts that were about to crash onto me. I got about 4 steps away from her before she yelled my way.

"Hey," she walked up to me, "look, I'm sorry Ame's tells people too much, but shes your best friend and she's worried about you."

"Look, I get that but I—"

"Let me finish," she put a finger up. "Ame's told me what was going on and to avoid the subject but little do you know or notice, I was one of your brother's friends. Well... mentors. We've actually met before but you were too wrapped up in your own shit to see me."

"That's not tru—"

"Yeah? Where do you know me from before a few hours ago?" She looked expectedly at me.

"You, uh... you were ..." staring at her face I did recall her. It was a faint memory but at my brothers session, the receptionist, in a suit and thick framed glasses, hair brought back in a tight bun. "You were the receptionist, at Mitch's therapy sessions." My voice choked up in the middle of his name. How long had it been since I spoke it to other people. The word tasted of ash in my mouth.

"Yes. That's true." She recoiled some, probably not expecting me to have recognized her.

"Mitchel talked about you. Said you were the light of the office, too pretty not to smile at, no matter how bad his spells were." My hands ended up in my pockets and I was clinching my sides. "Ms'antha? I believe he called you. He told me about your internship and the sessions you'd have before his therapist got in. He said you'd make a great therapist someday and that he was going to miss...you." Something stirred in my chest, something dark and impulsive. The question came out of nowhere, harsh and vile. "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?"

My voice came out darker and more pronounced. "Did—you—know?!" I was looking at her my eyes burning, fists clinched so tightly I could feel the nails digging into my palms, my arms were shaking.

"No, of course I didn't. He didn't say anything and he stopped coming in, we didn't hear the news til the second night of."

The news. Like it was something to broadcast and display. I remember hearing the headline on the TV "Troubled teen jumps off of interstate Bridge."

The burning cooled as a tear fell from my eye. I quickly wiped it away and shoved my hand back in my pocket. I realized I was too invested in this and needed to leave. As I turned back around I heard a quick lunge forward and she grabbed my arm and kept me from fully turning around. I suddenly was very conscious of her touch, it felt warm but still everything about me felt cold. I was shivering. Her fingers barely touched my skin. Most of her hand engulfed in the jacket. She turned me around and hugged me, full strength and buried her head in my neck.

"I'm so sorry." She said holding me tightly, my arms will in my pockets.

It took me a while, I had been blankly staring at nothing in particular, but i finally spoke broken hearted, "I-I don't want sorry's. I want to call him and not listen to his voice mail." That hurt, the knot in my throat was swelling, like i couldn't swallow the cannon ball down, it was suffocating. "I-Its full y'know. His voice-mail." The cannonball turned into a watermelon. I had to lift my head up to try and make it go down but it wouldn't. My shivering got worse and my vision was starting to blur from the tears. My face grew hot and my nose felt like needles were bein put through it. This was unbearable. I started to cry. Every "are you okay" every "we can talk about it" every "im here for you" every single fucking one was nothing to me. Im not okay, I dont wanf to talk about it and the only person I want here is him.

It had been 2 months since his passing and it was my first funeral I'd ever went to. Little Mitch was only 16 when he passed. I dont think I've ever experienced any pain worse than this. Life goes on but you're stuck in a perpetual state of 'what the fuck'. Everyday you look at the things that used to be and wonder how they were ever that way. Every day you look at the door and wonder when its going to open and you'll see that goofy ass smile. Everyday no matter where you go you think you see them at the corner of your eye and your waiting to kick their ass for playing the most torturous game of hide-n-go-seek ever. You wait to have a hug from behind and its them, a call to your phone with their name.

I dont know how long we'd been standing but I felt weak. I didnt want to stand anymore. Along the docks there was a tree and a patch of grass. Id found my way there and laid down closing my eyes. I dont even remember where Sam was, but I knew she was near me.

((I'm gonna come back to this one later))

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blackkudos · 5 years ago

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Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American retired professional basketball player. Rodman played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed "the Worm" and is famous for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities.

Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. His biography at NBA.com states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman's No. 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year.

Rodman experienced an unhappy childhood and was shy and introverted in his early years. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself as a "bad boy" and became notorious for numerous controversial antics. He repeatedly dyed his hair in artificial colors, had many piercings and tattoos, and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be. Rodman pursued a high-profile affair with singer Madonna and was briefly married to actress Carmen Electra. Rodman also attracted international attention for his visits to North Korea and his subsequent befriending of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2013.

In addition to being a retired professional basketball player, Rodman is a retired part-time professional wrestler and actor. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events. In professional wrestling, Rodman was the first ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour, and had lead roles in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). Both films were critically panned, with the former earning Rodman a triple Razzie Award. He appeared in several reality TV series and was the winner of the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole.

Early life and college career

Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Shirley and Philander Rodman, Jr., an Air Force enlisted member, who later fought in the Vietnam War. When he was young, his father left his family, eventually settling in the Philippines. Rodman has many brothers and sisters: according to his father, he has either 26 or 28 siblings on his father's side. However, Rodman himself has stated that he is the oldest of a total of 47 children.

After his father left, Shirley took many odd jobs to support the family, up to four at the same time. In his 1996 biography Bad As I Wanna Be, he expresses his feelings for his father: "I haven't seen my father in more than 30 years, so what's there to miss ... I just look at it like this: Some man brought me into this world. That doesn't mean I have a father". He would not meet his father again until 2012.

Rodman and his two sisters, Debra and Kim, grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, at the time one of the most impoverished areas of the city. Rodman was so attached to his mother that he refused to move when she sent him to a nursery when he was four years old. According to Rodman, his mom was more interested in his two sisters, who were both considered more talented than he was in basketball, and made him a laughing stock whenever he tagged along with them. He felt generally "overwhelmed" by the all-female household. Debra and Kim would go on to become All-Americans at Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin, respectively. Debra won two national titles with the Lady Techsters.

While attending South Oak Cliff High School, Rodman was a gym class student of future Texas A&M basketball coach Gary Blair. Blair coached Rodman's sisters Debra and Kim, winning three state championships. However, Rodman was not considered an athletic standout. According to Rodman, he was "unable to hit a layup" and was listed in the high school basketball teams, but was either benched or cut from the squads. Measuring only 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) as a freshman in high school, he also failed to make the football teams and was "totally devastated". After finishing school, Rodman worked as an overnight janitor at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. He then experienced a sudden growth spurt from 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and decided to try basketball again, despite becoming even more withdrawn because he felt odd in his own body.

A family friend tipped off the head coach of Cooke County College (now North Central Texas College) in Gainesville, Texas. In his single semester there, he averaged 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds, before flunking out due to poor academic performance. After his short stint in Gainesville, he transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school. There, Rodman was a three-time NAIA All-American and led the NAIA in rebounding twice (1985, 1986). In three seasons there (1983–1986), he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds, led the NAIA in rebounding twice and registered a .637 field goal percentage. At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft camp for NBA hopefuls, he won Most Valuable Player honors and caught the attention of the Detroit Pistons.

During college Rodman worked at a summer youth basketball camp, where he befriended camper Byrne Rich, who was shy and withdrawn due to a hunting accident in which he mistakenly shot and killed his best friend. The two became almost inseparable and formed a close bond. Rich invited Rodman to his rural Oklahoma home; at first, Rodman was not well-received by the Riches because he was black. But the Riches were so grateful to him for bringing their son out of his shell that they were able to set aside their prejudices. Although Rodman had severe family and personal issues himself, he "adopted" the Riches as his own in 1982 and went from the city life to "driving a tractor and messing with cows". Though Rodman credited the Riches as his "surrogate family" that helped him through college, as of 2013 he had stopped communicating with the Rich family for reasons unknown to them.

Professional basketball career

Detroit Pistons1986–1989

Rodman made himself eligible for the 1986 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as the third pick in the second round (27th overall), joining the rugged team of coach Chuck Daly that was called "Bad Boys" for their hard-nosed approach to basketball. The squad featured Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars at the guard positions, Adrian Dantley and Sidney Green at forward, and center Bill Laimbeer. Bench players who played more than 15 minutes per game were sixth man Vinnie Johnson and the backup forwards Rick Mahorn and John Salley. Rodman fit well into this ensemble, providing 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and some tough defense in 15.0 minutes of playing time per game.

Winning 52 games, the Pistons comfortably entered the 1987 playoffs. They swept the Washington Bullets and soundly beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, but bowed out in seven matches against the archrival Boston Celtics in what was called one of the physically and mentally toughest series ever. Rodman feuded with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson and taunted Johnson in the closing seconds when he waved his right hand over his own head. When the Celtics took Game Seven, Johnson went back at Rodman in the last moments of the game and mimicked his taunting gesture.

After the loss, Rodman made headlines by directly accusing Celtics star Larry Bird of being overrated because he was white: "Larry Bird is overrated in a lot of areas. ... Why does he get so much publicity? Because he's white. You never hear about a black player being the greatest". Although teammate Thomas supported him, he endured harsh criticism, but avoided being called a racist because, according to him, his own girlfriend Anicka "Annie" Bakes was white.

In the following 1987–88 season, Rodman steadily improved his stats, averaging 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds and starting in 32 of 82 regular season games. The Pistons fought their way into the 1988 NBA Finals, and took a 3–2 lead, but lost in seven games against the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game Six, the Pistons were down by one point with eight seconds to go; Dumars missed a shot, and Rodman just fell short of an offensive rebound and a putback which could have won the title. In Game Seven, L.A. led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Rodman's defense helped cut down the lead to six with 3:52 minutes to go and to two with one minute to go. But then, he fouled Magic Johnson, who hit a free throw, missed an ill-advised shot with 39 seconds to go, and the Pistons never recovered. In that year, he and his girlfriend Annie had a daughter they named Alexis.

Rodman remained a bench player during the 1988–89 season, averaging 9.0 points and 9.4 rebounds in 27 minutes, yet providing such effective defense that he was voted into the All-Defensive Team, the first of eight times in his career. He also began seeing more playing time after Adrian Dantley was traded at midseason to Dallas for Mark Aguirre. In that season, the Pistons finally vanquished their playoffs bane by sweeping the Boston Celtics, then winning in six games versus the Chicago Bulls—including scoring champion Michael Jordan—and easily defeating the Lakers 4–0 in the 1989 NBA Finals. Although he was hampered by back spasms, Rodman dominated the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3 and providing tough interior defense.

1989–1993

In the 1989–90 season, Detroit lost perennial defensive forward Rick Mahorn when he was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves in that year's expansion draft and ended up on the Philadelphia 76ers when the Pistons could not reacquire him. It was feared that the loss of Mahorn – average in talent, but high on hustle and widely considered a vital cog of the "Bad Boys" teams – would diminish the Pistons' spirit, but Rodman seamlessly took over his role. He went on to win his first big individual accolade. Averaging 8.8 points and 9.7 rebounds while starting in the last 43 regular season games, he established himself as the best defensive player in the game; during this period, the Pistons won 59 games, and Rodman was lauded by the NBA "for his defense and rebounding skills, which were unparalleled in the league". For his feats, he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award; he also connected on a .595 field goal percentage, best in the league. In the 1990 playoffs, the Pistons beat the Bulls again, and in the 1990 NBA Finals, Detroit met the Portland Trail Blazers. Rodman suffered from an injured ankle and was often replaced by Mark Aguirre, but even without his defensive hustle, Detroit beat Portland in five games and claimed their second title.

During the 1990–91 season, Rodman finally established himself as the starting small forward of the Pistons. He played such strong defense that the NBA stated he "could shut down any opposing player, from point guard to center". After coming off the bench for most of his earlier years, he finally started in 77 of the 82 regular season games, averaged 8.2 points and 12.5 rebounds and won his second Defensive Player of the Year Award. In the 1991 playoffs, however, the Pistons were swept by the championship-winning Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It was in the 1991–92 season where Rodman made a remarkable leap in his rebounding, collecting an astounding 18.7 rebounds per game (1,530 in total), winning his first of seven consecutive rebounding crowns, along with scoring 9.8 points per game, and making his first All-NBA Team. His 1,530 rebounds (the most since Wilt Chamberlain's 1,572 in the 1971–1972 season) have never been surpassed since then; the best mark not set by Rodman is by Kevin Willis, who grabbed 1,258 boards that same season. Willis lamented that Rodman had an advantage in winning the rebounding title with his lack of offensive responsibilities. In a March 1992 game, Rodman totaled a career high 34 rebounds. However, the aging Pistons were eliminated by the up-and-coming New York Knicks in the first round of the 1992 playoffs.

Rodman experienced a tough loss when coach Chuck Daly, whom he had admired as a surrogate father, resigned in May; Rodman skipped the preseason camp and was fined $68,000. The following 1992–93 season was even more tumultuous. Rodman and Annie Bakes, the mother of his daughter Alexis, were divorcing after a short marriage, an experience which left him traumatized. The Pistons won only 40 games and missed the 1993 playoffs entirely. One night in February 1993, Rodman was found asleep in his car with a loaded rifle. Four years later in his biography As Bad As I Wanna Be, he confessed having thought about suicide and described that night as an epiphany: "I decided that instead [of killing myself] I was gonna kill the impostor that was leading Dennis Rodman to a place he didn't want to go ... So I just said, 'I'm going to live my life the way I want to live it and be happy doing it.' At that moment I tamed [sic] my whole life around. I killed the person I didn't want to be." The book was later adapted for a TV movie Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story. Although he had three years and $11.8 million remaining on his contract, Rodman demanded a trade. On October 1, 1993, the Pistons dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs

In the 1993–94 season, Rodman joined a Spurs team that was built around perennial All-Star center David Robinson, with a supporting cast of forwards Dale Ellis, Willie Anderson and guard Vinny Del Negro. On the hardwood, Rodman now was played as a power forward and won his third straight rebounding title, averaging 17.3 boards per game, along with another All-Defensive Team call-up. Living up to his promise of killing the "shy imposter" and "being himself" instead, Rodman began to show first signs of unconventional behavior: before the first game, he shaved his hair and dyed it blonde, which was followed up by stints with red, purple, blue hair and a look inspired from the film Demolition Man. During the season, he headbutted Stacey King and John Stockton, refused to leave the hardwood once after being ejected, and had a highly publicized two-month affair with Madonna. The only player to whom Rodman related was reserve center Jack Haley, who earned his trust by not being shocked after a visit to a gay bar. However, despite a 55-win season, Rodman and the Spurs did not survive the first round of the 1994 playoffs and bowed out against the Utah Jazz in four games.

In the following 1994–95 season, Rodman clashed with the Spurs front office. He was suspended for the first three games, took a leave of absence on November 11, and was suspended again on December 7. He finally returned on December 10 after missing 19 games. After joining the team, he suffered a shoulder separation in a motorcycle accident, limiting his season to 49 games. Normally, he would not have qualified for any season records for missing so many games, but by grabbing 823 rebounds, he just surpassed the 800-rebound limit for listing players and won his fourth straight rebounding title by averaging 16.8 boards per game and made the All-NBA Team. In the 1995 playoffs, the 62-win Spurs with reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner Robinson entered the Western Conference Finals and were considered favorites against the reigning champions Houston Rockets who had only won 47 games. It was thought that Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon would have a hard time asserting himself versus Robinson and Rodman, who had both been voted into the NBA All-Defensive Teams. However, neither Robinson nor Rodman, who had disrupted a playoff game against the Lakers by sitting down on the court, could stop Olajuwon, who averaged 35.3 points against the elite defensive Spurs frontcourt, and helped eliminate the Spurs in six games.

Rodman admitted his frequent transgressions, but asserted that he lived his own life and thus a more honest life than most other people:

I just took the chance to be my own man ... I just said: "If you don't like it, kiss my ass." ... Most people around the country, or around the world, are basically working people who want to be free, who want to be themselves. They look at me and see someone trying to do that ... I'm the guy who's showing people, hey, it's all right to be different. And I think they feel: "Let's go and see this guy entertain us."

Chicago Bulls

Prior to the 1995–96 season, Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls of perennial scoring champion Michael Jordan for center Will Perdue to fill a large void at power forward left by Horace Grant, who left the Bulls prior to the 1994–95 season. Given Rodman could not use the 10 jersey as the Bulls had retired it for Bob Love, and the NBA denied him the reversion 01, Rodman instead picked the number 91, whose digits add up to 10. Although the trade for the already 34-year-old and volatile Rodman was considered a gamble at that time, the power forward quickly adapted to his new environment, helped by the fact that his best friend Jack Haley was also traded to the Bulls. Under coach Phil Jackson, he averaged 5.5 points and 14.9 rebounds per game, winning yet another rebounding title, and was part of the great Bulls team that won 72 of 82 regular season games, an NBA record at the time. About playing next to the iconic Jordan and co-star Scottie Pippen, Rodman said:

On the court, me and Michael are pretty calm and we can handle conversation. But as far as our lives go, I think he is moving in one direction and I'm going in the other. I mean, he's goin' north, I'm goin' south. And then you've got Scottie Pippen right in the middle. He's sort of the equator.

Although struggling with calf problems early in the season, Rodman grabbed 20 or more rebounds 11 times and had his first triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 16, 1996 scoring 10 points and adding 21 rebounds and 10 assists; by playing his trademark tough defense, he joined Jordan and Pippen in the All-NBA Defense First Team. Ever controversial, Rodman made negative headlines after a head butt of referee Ted Bernhardt during a game in New Jersey on March 16, 1996; he was suspended for six games and fined $20,000, a punishment that was criticized as too lenient by the local press.

In the 1996 playoffs, Rodman scored 7.5 points and grabbed 13.7 rebounds per game and had a large part in the six-game victory against the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals: in Game Two at home in the Bulls' United Center, he grabbed 20 rebounds, among them a record-tying 11 offensive boards, and in Game Six, again at the United Center, the power forward secured 19 rebounds and again 11 offensive boards, scored five points in a decisive 12–2 Bulls run, unnerved opposing power forward Shawn Kemp and caused Seattle coach George Karl to say: "As you evaluate the series, Dennis Rodman won two basketball games. We controlled Dennis Rodman for four games. But Game 2 and tonight, he was the reason they were successful." His two games with 11 offensive rebounds each tied the NBA Finals record of Elvin Hayes.

In the 1996–97 season, Rodman won his sixth rebounding title in a row with 16.7 boards per game, along with 5.7 points per game, but failed to rank another All-Defensive Team call-up. However, he made more headlines for his notorious behavior. On January 15, 1997, he was involved in an incident during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin. Though he was not assessed a technical foul at the time, he ultimately paid Amos a $200,000 settlement, and the league suspended Rodman for 11 games without pay. Thus, he effectively lost $1 million. Missing another three games to suspensions, often getting technical fouls early in games and missing an additional 13 matches due to knee problems, Rodman was not as effective in the 1997 playoffs, in which the Bulls reached the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. He struggled to slow down Jazz power forward Karl Malone, but did his share to complete the six-game Bulls victory.

The regular season of the 1997–98 season ended with Rodman winning his seventh consecutive rebounding title with 15.0 boards per game, along with 4.7 points per game. He grabbed 20 or more rebounds 11 times, among them a 29-board outburst against the Atlanta Hawks and 15 offensive boards (along with ten defensive) versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Led by the aging Jordan and Rodman (respectively 35 and 37 years old), the Bulls reached the 1998 NBA Finals, again versus the Jazz. After playing strong defense on Malone in the first three games, he caused major consternation when he left his team prior to Game Four to go wrestling with Hulk Hogan. He was fined $20,000, but it was not even ten percent of what he earned with this stint. However, Rodman's on-court performance remained top-notch, again shutting down Malone in Game Four until the latter scored 39 points in a Jazz Game Five win, bringing the series to 3–2 from the Bulls perspective. In Game Six, Jordan hit the decisive basket after a memorable drive on Jazz forward Bryon Russell, the Bulls won their third title in a row and Rodman his fifth ring.

Rodman garnered as much publicity for his public antics. He dated Madonna and claimed she tried to conceive a child with him. Shortly after, Rodman famously wore a wedding dress to promote his autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be, claiming that he was bisexual and that he was marrying himself.

Twilight years

After the 1997–98 season, the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase, largely at the behest of then-general manager Jerry Krause. Head coach Phil Jackson and several members of the team left via free agency or retirement, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, and Jud Buechler. Rodman was released by the Bulls on January 21, 1999, before the start of the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. With his sister acting as his agent at the time, Rodman joined the Los Angeles Lakers, for a pro-rated salary for the remainder of the 1998–1999 season. With the Lakers he only played in 23 games and was released.

In the 1999–2000 season, the then-38-year-old power forward was signed by the Dallas Mavericks, meaning that Rodman returned to the place where he grew up. Dallas had won 10 of 13 before his arrival, but went just 4–9 until he was waived by the Mavericks. He played 12 games, received six technical fouls, was ejected twice, and served a one-game suspension. Despite averaging 14.3 rebounds per game, above his career average of 13.1, Rodman alienated the franchise with his erratic behavior and did not provide leadership to a team trying to qualify for their first playoffs in 10 years. Dallas guard Steve Nash commented that Rodman "never wanted to be [a Maverick]" and therefore was unmotivated.

Post-NBA career

After his NBA career, Rodman took a long break from basketball and concentrated on his film career and on wrestling.

After a longer hiatus, Rodman returned to play basketball for the Long Beach Jam of the newly formed American Basketball Association during the 2003–04 season, with hopes of being called up to the NBA midseason. While he did not get that wish that season, he did help the Jam win the ABA championship in their inaugural season. He also played in Mexico, with Fuerza Regia in 2004. In the following 2004–05 season, he signed with the ABA's Orange County Crush and the following season with the league's Tijuana Dragons. In November 2005, he played one match for Torpan Pojat of the Finland's basketball league, Korisliiga.

The return to the NBA never materialized, but on January 26, 2006, it was announced that Rodman had signed a one-game "experiment" deal for the UK basketball team Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League to play Guildford Heat on January 28 and went on to play three games for the Bears. In spring 2006, he played two exhibition games in the Philippines along with NBA ex-stars Darryl Dawkins, Kevin Willis, Calvin Murphy, Otis Birdsong and Alex English. On April 27, they defeated a team of former Philippine Basketball Association stars in Mandaue City, Cebu and Rodman scored five points and grabbed 18 rebounds. On May 1, 2006, Rodman's team played their second game and lost to the Philippine national basketball team 110–102 at the Araneta Coliseum, where he scored three points and recorded 16 rebounds.

On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Rodman would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

NBA career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs

Awards, records, and achievements

Legacy in basketball

From the beginning of his career Rodman was known for his defensive hustle, which was later accompanied by his rebounding prowess. In Detroit, he was mainly played as a small forward, and his usual assignment was to neutralize the opponent's best player; Rodman was so versatile that he could guard centers, forwards, or guards equally well and won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards. From 1991 on, he established himself as one of the best rebounders of all time, averaging at least 15 rebounds per game in six of the next seven years. Playing power forward as member of the Spurs and the Bulls, he had a historical outburst in the 1996 NBA Finals: he twice snared 11 offensive rebounds, equalling an all-time NBA record. In addition, he had a career-high 34-rebound game on March 4, 1992. Rodman's rebounding prowess with Detroit and San Antonio was also aided by his decreased attention to defensive positioning and helping teammates on defense. Daly said Rodman was selfish about rebounding, but deemed him a hard worker and coachable. Rodman's defensive intensity returned while with Chicago.

On offense, Rodman's output was mediocre. He averaged 11.6 points per game in his second season, but his average steadily dropped: in the three championship seasons with the Bulls, he averaged five points per game and connected on less than half of his field goal attempts. His free throw shooting (lifetime average: .584) was considered a big liability: on December 29, 1997, Bubba Wells of the Dallas Mavericks committed six intentional fouls against him in only three minutes, setting the record for the fastest foul out in NBA history. The intention was to force him to attempt free throws, which in theory would mean frequent misses and easy ball possession without giving up too many points. However, this plan backfired, as Rodman hit 9 of the 12 attempts. This was Dallas coach Don Nelson's early version of what would later develop into the famous "Hack-a-Shaq" method that would be implemented against Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, and other poor free throw shooters.

In 14 NBA seasons, Rodman played in 911 games, scored 6,683 points, and grabbed 11,954 rebounds, translating to 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game in only 31.7 minutes played per game. NBA.com lauds Rodman as "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history and one of the most recognized athletes in the world" but adds "enigmatic and individualistic, Rodman has caught the public eye for his ever-changing hair color, tattoos and, unorthodox lifestyle". On the hardwood, he was recognized as one of the most successful defensive players ever, winning the NBA championship five times in six NBA Finals appearances (1989, 1990, 1996–1998; only loss 1988), being crowned NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice (1990–1991) and making seven NBA All-Defensive First Teams (1989–1993, 1995–1996) and NBA All-Defensive Second Teams (1994). He additionally made two All-NBA Third Teams (1992, 1995), two NBA All-Star Teams (1990, 1992) and won seven straight rebounding crowns (1992–1998) and finally led the league once in field goal percentage (1989).

Rodman was recognized as the prototype bizarre player, stunning basketball fans with his artificial hair colors, numerous tattoos and body piercings, multiple verbal and physical assaults on officials, frequent ejections, and his tumultuous private life. He was ranked No. 48 on the 2009 revision of SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time. Metta World Peace played one year with the 91 jersey number in homage to Rodman, who he described as a player who he liked "on the court as a hustler, not when he kicked the cameraman."

Non-basketball awards

World Humanitarian Special Award, 2015. For his contributions into helping create peace and trying to unite North Korea and the USA.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1997–1999)

Rodman took up his hobby of professional wrestling seriously and appeared on the edition of March 10 of Monday Nitro with his friend Hollywood Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). At the March 1997 Uncensored event, he appeared as a member of the nWo. His first match was at the July 1997 Bash at the Beach event, where he teamed with Hogan in a loss to Lex Luger and The Giant. At the August 1997 Road Wild event, Rodman appeared as the Impostor Sting hitting Luger with a baseball bat to help Hogan win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

After the 1997–98 season, where Rodman and the Chicago Bulls defeated Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals, Rodman and Malone squared off again, this time in a tag team match at the July 1998 Bash at the Beach event. He fought alongside Hulk Hogan, and Malone tagged along with Diamond Dallas Page. In a poorly received match, the two power forwards exchanged "rudimentary headlocks, slams and clotheslines" for 23 minutes. Rodman bested Malone again as he and Hogan picked up the win.

Rodman returned to WCW in 1999 and feuded with Randy Savage. This culminated in a match at Road Wild which Rodman lost.

i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling and retirement (2000)

On July 30, 2000, Rodman competed on the i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling Rodman Down Under pay-per-view event. He fought against i-Generation champion Curt Hennig in an Australian Outback match; Hennig won the match by disqualification. Following the match, Rodman refrained from wrestling at the top level and retired.

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling (2008)

Rodman came out of retirement to appear as a contestant on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, broadcast on CMT. Rodman was the winner of the series, defeating other challengers such as Butterbean and Dustin Diamond.

Championships and accomplishments

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling

Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament

Media appearances

In 1996, Rodman had his own MTV reality talk show called The Rodman World Tour, which featured him in a series of odd-ball situations. That same year, Rodman had two appearances in releases by rock band Pearl Jam. A Polaroid picture of Rodman's eyeball is on the cover of the album No Code, and "Black, Red, Yellow", B-side of its lead single "Hail, Hail", was written about Rodman and has him contribute a voice message.

A year later, he made his feature film debut in the action film Double Team alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mickey Rourke. The film was critically panned and his performance earned him three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst New Star, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple (shared with Van Damme). Rodman starred in Simon Sez, a 1999 action/comedy and co-starred with Tom Berenger in a 2000 action film about skydiving titled Cutaway. In 1998, he joined the cast of the syndicated TV show Special Ops Force, playing 'Deke' Reynolds, a flamboyant but skilled ex-Army helo pilot and demolitions expert.

In 2005, Rodman became the first man to pose naked for PETA's advertisement campaign "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur". That same year, Rodman traveled to Finland, at first, he was present at Sonkajärvi in July in a wife-carrying contest. However, he resigned from the contest due to health problems. Also in 2005, Rodman published his second autobiography, I Should Be Dead By Now; he promoted the book by sitting in a coffin.

Rodman became Commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005.

Since his initial entry into acting, he has appeared in few acting roles outside of playing himself. Rodman has made an appearance in an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun playing the character of himself, except being a fellow alien with the Solomon family. He voiced an animated version of himself in the Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XVI".

Rodman has also appeared in several reality shows: in January 2006, Rodman appeared on the fourth version of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, and on July 26, 2006, in the UK series Love Island as a houseguest contracted to stay for a week. Finally, he appeared on the show Celebrity Mole on ABC. He wound up winning the $222,000 grand prize.

In 2008, Rodman joined as a spokesman for a sports website OPENSports.com, the brainchild of Mike Levy, founder and former CEO of CBS Sportsline.com. Rodman also writes a blog and occasionally answers members' questions for OPEN Sports.

In 2009, he appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. Throughout the season, each celebrity raised money for a charity of their choice; Rodman selected the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Orleans. He was the fifth contestant eliminated, on March 29, 2009.

In 2013, he appeared again as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. He raised $20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was the sixth contestant eliminated, on April 7, 2013.

In March 2013, Rodman arrived at the Vatican City during voting in the papal conclave for the selection of a new pope. The trip was organized by an Irish gambling company.

In July 2013, Rodman joined Premier Brands to launch and promote Bad Boy Vodka.

Rodman's visits to North Korea were depicted in the 2015 documentary film Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in Pyongyang.

In 2017, Rodman was featured on the alternative R&B/hip-hop duo Mansionz self-titled album Mansionz. He provides vocals on the single "Dennis Rodman" and uncredited vocals on "i'm thinking about horses".

Personal life

Family

Rodman married his first wife Annie Bakes in September 1992. They began dating in 1987, and their daughter Alexis Caitlyn was born in 1988. Their relationship was marred by infidelites and accusations of abuse. They divorced after 82 days.

On November 14, 1998, Rodman married model Carmen Electra at the Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nine days later, Rodman filed for an annulment claiming he was of "unsound mind" when they married. They reconciled, but Electra filed for divorce in April 1999. She later stated that it was an "occupational hazard" to be Rodman's girlfriend".

In 1999, Rodman met Michelle Moyer, with whom he had a son, Dennis Jr. ("D. J.", born April 25, 2001) and a daughter, Trinity. Moyer and Rodman married in 2003 on his 42nd birthday. Michelle Rodman filed for divorce in 2004, although the couple spent several years attempting to reconcile. The marriage was officially dissolved in 2012, when Michelle again petitioned the court to grant a divorce. It was reported that Rodman owed $860,376 in child and spousal support.

Rodman's son D. J. started playing college basketball for Washington State in 2019. His daughter, Trinity, signed to play for the Cougars women's soccer team starting in 2020.

Alcohol issues

Rodman entered an outpatient rehab center in Florida in May 2008. In May 2009, his behavior on Celebrity Apprentice led to an intervention which included Phil Jackson as well as Rodman's family and other friends. Rodman initially refused to enter rehabilitation because he wanted to attend the Celebrity Apprentice reunion show. In 2009, Rodman agreed to appear on the third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Rodman remained a patient at the Pasadena Recovery Center for the 21-day treatment cycle. A week after completion he entered a sober-living facility in the Hollywood Hills, which was filmed for the second season of Sober House. During episode seven of Sober House, Rodman was shown being reunited with his mother Shirley, from whom he had been estranged for seven years. During this same visit Shirley also met Rodman's two children for the first time. On January 10, 2010, on the same day that Celebrity Rehab premiered, Rodman was removed from an Orange County, California restaurant for disruptive behavior. In March 2012, Rodman's financial advisor said, "In all honesty, Dennis, although a very sweet person, is an alcoholic. His sickness impacts his ability to get work."

On January 15, 2014, Rodman again entered a rehabilitation facility to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. This came on the heels of a well-publicized trip to North Korea where his agent, Darren Prince, reported he had been drinking heavily and to an extent "that none of us had seen before."

Legal troubles

Rodman has settled several lawsuits out of court for alleged sexual assault.

In August 1999, Rodman was arrested for public drunkenness and spent the night in jail after he got into an altercation at Woody's Wharf in Newport Beach, California. The charges were eventually dropped.

On November 5, 1999, Rodman and his then-wife, Carmen Electra, were charged with misdemeanor battery after police were notified of a domestic disturbance. Each posted a bail worth $2,500 and were released with a temporary restraining order placed on them. The charges were dropped the next month.

In December 1999, Rodman was arrested for drunk driving and driving without a valid driver's license. In July 2000, Rodman pleaded guilty to both charges and was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines as well as attend a three-month treatment program.

In 2002, he was arrested for interfering with police investigating a code violation at a restaurant he owned; the charges were eventually dropped. After settling down in Newport Beach, California, the police appeared over 70 times at his home because of loud parties. In early 2003, Rodman was arrested and charged with domestic violence at his home in Newport Beach for allegedly assaulting his then-fiancée.

In April 2004, Rodman pleaded nolo contendere to drunk driving in Las Vegas. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to serve 30 days of home detention. On April 30, 2008, Rodman was arrested following a domestic violence incident at a Los Angeles hotel. On June 24, 2008, he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor spousal battery charges. He received three years of probation and was ordered to undergo one year of domestic violence counseling as well as 45 hours of community service, which were to involve some physical labor activities.

On November 21, 2016, Rodman was charged with causing a hit and run accident, lying to police, and driving without a license following an incident on Interstate 5 near Santa Ana, California, in July. In February 2017, Rodman pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 30 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay restitution and donate $500 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

In January 2018, Rodman was arrested for driving under the influence in Newport Beach. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges and received three years of probation.

In May 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported that Newport Beach yoga studio owner Ali Shah accused Rodman of helping steal over $3,500 worth of items from the studio's reception area, including a 400-pound decorative geode. Rodman disputed the account, claiming the owner told him "Dennis, get anything you want." No charges had been filed at the time of reporting.

On October 18, 2019, Rodman was charged with misdemeanor battery after slapping a man at the Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach, Florida.

Politics

On July 24, 2015, Rodman publicly endorsed Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. That same month, Rodman sent out an endorsement tweet, stating, "Donald Trump has been a great friend for many years. We don't need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump! Trump 2016." Rodman and then U.S. Presidential hopeful Trump had previously appeared together on Celebrity Apprentice.

North Korea visits

On February 26, 2013, Rodman made a trip to North Korea with Vice Media correspondent Ryan Duffy to host basketball exhibitions. He met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Rodman and his travel party were the first Americans to meet Kim. He later said that Kim was "a friend for life" and suggested that President Barack Obama "pick up the phone and call" Kim, since the two leaders were basketball fans. On May 7, after reading an article in The Seattle Times, Rodman sent out a tweet asking Kim to release American prisoner Kenneth Bae, who had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea. Kim released Bae the following year.

In July 2013, Rodman told Sports Illustrated: "My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it's been left to me to smooth things over, I don't know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job; it's the black guy's [Obama's] job. But I'll tell you this: If I don't finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something's seriously wrong." On September 3, 2013, Rodman flew to Pyongyang for another meeting with Kim Jong-un. He said that Kim has a daughter named Kim Ju-ae, and that he is a "great dad". He also noted that he planned to train the North Korean national basketball team. He stated that he is "trying to open Obama's and everyone's minds" and encouraged Obama to reach out to Kim Jong-un.

In December 2013, Rodman announced that he would visit North Korea again. He also said that he has plans to take a number of former NBA players with him for an exhibition basketball tour. According to Rory Scott, a spokesman for the exhibitions' sponsoring organization, Rodman planned to visit December 18–21 and train the North Korean team in preparation for January games. The games were scheduled for January 8 (Kim Jong-un's birthday) and January 10, 2014. Included on the U.S. exhibition team were Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Sleepy Floyd, Charles D. Smith, and four streetballers. Rodman departed from Beijing on January 6. Among his entourage was Irish media personality Matt Cooper, who had interviewed Rodman a number of times on the radio.

Rodman made comments on January 7, 2014 during a CNN interview implying that Kenneth Bae was at fault for his imprisonment. The remarks were widely reported in other media outlets and provoked a storm of criticism. Two days later, Rodman apologized for his comments, saying that he had been drinking and under pressure. He added that he "should know better than to make political statements". Some members of Congress, the NBA, and human rights groups suggested that Rodman had become a public relations stunt for the North Korean government. On May 2, 2016, Kenneth Bae credited Rodman with his early release. He said that Rodman's rant raised awareness of his case and that he wanted to thank him for his expedited release.

The Department of the Treasury is reportedly investigating whether Rodman broke the law by bringing Kim Jong-un thousands of dollars in luxury gifts on his 2014 trip to North Korea.

On June 13, 2017, Rodman returned to North Korea on what was initially described as a sports-related visit to the country. "My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea," he said. He added that he hoped to accomplish "something that's pretty positive" during the visit. He met with national Olympic athletes and basketball players, viewed a men's basketball practice, and visited a state-run orphanage. He was not able to meet with Kim Jong Un, but met instead with the nation's Minister of Sports and gave him several gifts for Kim Jong Un, including two signed basketball jerseys, two soap sets, and a copy of Donald Trump's 1987 book The Art of the Deal. Other gifts believed to be intended for the leader's daughter included a Where's Waldo? book and a jigsaw puzzle of a mermaid.

Rodman posted a video on Twitter that was recorded before he left for the visit in which he and his agent describe the mission of the trip. "He's going to try to bring peace between both nations," said Rodman's agent Chris Volo, referring to the strained relations between North Korea and the United States. Rodman added, "That's the main reason why we're going. We're trying to bring everything together. If not, at least we tried." The visit was sponsored by the cryptocurrency company PotCoin.

Rodman's "hoops diplomacy" inspired the 20th Century Fox comedy Diplomats. Tim Story and Peter Chernin are set to produce the film, while Jonathan Abrams is reportedly writing the script.

Rodman visited North Korea again in June 2018. "I'm just happy to be a part of" the 2018 North Korea–United States summit, he said, "because I think I deserve it."

Presidential involvement suggested

The Washington Post raised the question of whether President Donald Trump sent Rodman on his 2017 visit to negotiate the release of several American prisoners of North Korea or to open a back channel for diplomatic communications. The U.S. State Department, White House officials, and Rodman all denied any official government involvement in the visit. Rodman, who publicly endorsed Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, is a self-described longtime friend of the president and, as the article put it, "Trump and Kim's only mutual acquaintance." The Washington Post article stated, "Multiple people involved in unofficial talks with North Korea say that the Trump administration has been making overtures toward the Kim regime, including trying to set up a secret back channel to the North Korean leader using 'an associate of Trump's' rather than the usual lineup of North Korea experts and former officials who talk to Pyongyang's representatives."

When asked if he had spoken with Trump about the visit, Rodman replied, "Well, I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need." Rodman publicly presented a copy of Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal" to North Korean officials, as a personal gift for Kim Jong Un. In a Twitter video posted by Rodman, his agent Chris Volo said, "He's the only person on the planet that has the uniqueness, the unbelievable privilege of being friends with President Trump and Marshal Kim Jong Un." Rodman went on to say in the video that he wanted to bring peace and "open doors between both countries."

Otto Warmbier, an American student held captive in North Korea for 17 months, was released to U.S. officials the same day as Rodman's visit to North Korea. Despite the timeline of the two events, the U.S. State Department, The White House, and Rodman all flatly denied any diplomatic connection or coordination between Rodman's visit and the U.S. government. The U.S. State Department said the release of Warmbier was negotiated and secured by high level U.S. diplomats including Joseph Yun, the State Department's special envoy on North Korea. Warmbier, who was in a nonresponsive coma throughout much of his imprisonment in North Korea, died days after being returned to his family in the U.S.

In an emotional interview with Michael Strahan of "Good Morning America", Rodman expressed sorrow for the death of Warmbier and said, "I was just so happy to see the kid released. Later that day, that's when we found out he was ill. No one knew that." He added that he wished to give "all the prayer and love" to the Warmbier family and had contacted them and hoped to meet with them personally.

Rodman's agent, Chris Volo, told ABC News that before they left for the 2017 trip, he had asked North Korean officials to release Warmbier as a symbol of good faith for any future sports-relations visits. "I asked on behalf of Dennis for his release three times," Volo said.

In December 2017, Columbia University professor of neurobiology Joseph Terwilliger, who has accompanied Rodman to North Korea, argued that "While I don't suspect that very many Americans would have chosen him to be an emissary or international goodwill ambassador, Dennis has had a long friendship with Mr. Trump and has also developed a very cordial friendship with Mr. Kim. In this tense climate, as we stand at a perilous crossing, Mr. Rodman's unique position as a friend to the leaders of both U.S. and North Korea could provide a much-needed bridge to help resolve the current nuclear standoff.

#05/13

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Lesson: People do business with you because you can help them solve a problem. They care little about how you solve it (the features of the solution). They just want you to make the problem go away so that they have one less thing to worry about (the benefits of doing business with you).

3. Understand the needs of your target market. Nancy takes a trip to LA to check out the medical marijuana clinic, and discovers a sheer cornucopia of pot, available in more varieties than she'd ever imagined. This visit makes her realize that she's buying the bottom-of-the-barrel weed and gives her supplier a list of the "good stuff" that her clients really want. Then, to give her clients a better high for their buck (and enable her clients to hide their marijuana use), she begins to package the pot in various baked goods that she makes in her home kitchen. One client cleans her out of baked goods in one visit.

Lesson: Give your clients what they want, not what you think they need. Many service business owners head into the marketplace and have no idea if they offer a product or service that the public wants. Or, they offer what they think is good for a client rather than what will solve a client's pressing problem. Do your market research to understand the needs and problems of your target market.

4. The failure of most businesses is due to undercapitalization. Nancy's personal expenses are exceeding her income, and she approaches her supplier, Heylia, to give her inventory on credit. Heylia laughs in her face, but after Nancy begs, she's permitted to hock her leased Land Rover and multi-carat wedding ring with Heylia to get the quantity of pot that she needs for the week.

Lesson: Being self-employed is a financial roller-coaster ride. Have financial reserves in place before you start your business so that you can pay your bills until you begin making a profit. And, if you come up short of cash, try negotiation with your suppliers or vendors for more favorable payment terms.

5. Slow and steady wins the business growth race. Nancy becomes heady with her sales success in her suburb and begins to eye other markets so she can make even more money. While on the local college campus seeking a tutor for her son, she realizes the campus is a ready-made market for pot and is initially very successful in capturing that market. However, what she doesn't realize is that she is treading on another dealer's territory (one of the campus security officers), and in a mock arrest on campus by this officer, she loses about $15,000 worth of inventory. When she tells Heylia what happened, Heylia just laughs and tells Nancy she's been "jacked" by another dealer, and that's the price she pays for trying to grow too fast.

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askdawnandvern · 8 years ago

Text

A Lamb Among Wolves Ch:14

Chapter Fourteen: Et Tu Zachary?

Vernon felt sick, too sick to even finish his the warm, sticky homemade breakfast that had been one of the few things the wolf looked forward to when visiting home. What remained on his plate had become as revolting as the scent of his Mother's perfume, and the wolf simply slid it aside as the rest of group continued to eat in near silence. Barely anyone had said much of anything after Dorian had come in and chased Yuri out of the room, something Vernon was at least partially grateful for. If things had continued Vernon was sure he would have slugged the wolf, probably earning himself a black eye among other wounds, and trashing the dining hall in the process. But the cavalry had ultimately arrived too late to save the already abysmal turn the morning had taken. Granted, it had already been on shaky ground to start with Dawn's sudden and unwelcomed visitor. But Yuri's little performance had successfully managed to destroy any little remaining hope that the day would be an overall positive one. It had already seemed to be ruined, and the wolf had barely been awake for more than thirty minutes.

Vernon had long been used to Yuri's particular form of teasing and torment. The black pelted wolf had always been nasty, vindictive, rude little mammal ever since they had been pups. And there was not a member of the young Hunter brood that didn't suffer at one point or another due to Yuri's usual cruelty. But it was Vernon more so than the rest that the wolf seemed to reserve the worst he had to offer for. When they had been pups, Yuri had been the largest member of the brothers and was always using it to his advantage in sinister ways. Whether it was intimidation, or brute force the pup was quick to exert his 'dominance' over the others, especially Vern. Vernon could easily remember a number of times Yuri had simply sat on him to pin him down, and refused to let the wolf up until he stated that Yuri was the 'Alpha' and that he was the 'Omega'. Yuri knew better of course, they weren't allowed to use terms like that under Ma and Pa Hunter's roof. But he was nearly a master at being able to perfectly evade their parents detection when torturing his brothers.

As he got older the abuse worsened, and losing Dawn as a childhood friend only gave Yuri more material to work with. Rather than offer the wolf pity or sympathy, Yuri ramped up the already incessant teasing and fighting. It was only when Vernon went through his growth spurt that Yuri seemed to lighten up a bit when it came to physical side of hurting Vernon. Looking back, Vernon could easily chalk it up to the fact that Yuri had went from the largest wolf in the pack, to the smallest after the others all sprouted up around him. Yuri had always been an opportunist and a coward, never going after mammals larger than he was unless he knew it was a situation he could get away clean from. But despite no longer getting physical with Vernon, Yuri was no slouch. He had perfected the art of verbal abuse, and now reveled in the fact that as long as he wasn't the first to swing he would always be in the right.

If it hadn't been for the fact the Yuri was one of the first to leave the ranch Vernon was certain he would have lost his mind and killed him despite taking a vow of nonviolence after getting into high school. Vernon could remember one or two nights he had drifted to sleep plotting exactly where he would bury the wolf where no one would find him. But when the first litter of the Hunter brood graduated high school, while Zach and Xavier were spending their Summer preparing to attend their respective colleges, Yuri had decided to spend his Summer traveling. The wolf simply took off with little warning, taking to his motorcycle with a duffle bag full of his things and blowing away like a tumbleweed in the wind. He had spent his time traveling all over North Mammalia if the post cards Vernon's parents received were anything to go by. But before Dorian and Audrey could question whether or not the wolf intended to become a professional drifter, Yuri turned up on his first scheduled day at the Marshland Police Academy, and with that their worries seemed to be put at rest.

Meanwhile Vernon had spent his Summer actually enjoying being home for the first time in his life. By comparison to Yuri he managed to get along with his other brothers like a dream. In fact, Yuri's absence is one of the reasons Vernon ended up lingering around the Meadowlands for a few years after high school. It was, in some way, like an entirely new experience exploring the district without the weight of his brother looming over him, and the wolf was making up for lost time. Eventually though, Vernon made the choice to break away from the family vocation, and strike out on his to become an architect when the opportunity finally presented itself. With Gus living in Zootopia, and willing to share his apartment with the wolf, Vernon was free to support himself without worrying about Dorian trying to steer him back on the path to police duty. Vernon was free of the responsibilities that being a Hunter seemed to carry along with it, and was more than delighted to be. That said, his visits to the Ranch since leaving for college had been few and far between. And if Yuri was set to visit, Vernon would tend to cancel at the last minute. It was only as recently as Zach and Vanna's tithing ceremony that had he seen the wolf again.

Vernon had hoped he would have changed, but in fact Yuri had become worse during his time on his own. And while he was attached to Ada at that time, who despite her seemingly similar demeanor turned out to be a rather sweet mammal, it had done nothing to change him. It was for Ada's sake that Vernon had resisted the urge to belt him when he used his opportunity to speak at the reception for Zach and Vanna to devote a minute and a half of material to putting Vernon down. And it was also for Ada's sake that Vernon ended up leaving early rather than stay another day and risk mauling the smug sneering wolf.

The wolf had remained silent for most of what remained of the morning meal, occasionally sipping his now disgustingly cold coffee or glancing over at the ewe sitting next to him. Somehow Dawn had managed to finish her food, something that Vernon found surprising considering all that had happened just a short while ago. The wolf ended up more or less reasoning that Dawn's appetite surviving Yuri's mood killing scene had something to do with her four chambered stomach.

"Vernon Darlin'?" The wolf was pulled out of his thoughts by his Mother's voice. He turned his head to catch the wolfess staring at him, her features fraught with concern.

"Yer done with your food? You've barely touched it." She grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm about done. I'll just stick with what's left of my coffee." He muttered, giving her a dismissive nod.

The wolf took a sip of the brew, cringing at the nasty aftertaste the chill somehow amplified.

"Vernon." That came from Dawn. The wolf glanced down at the equally concerned looking sheep sitting next to him. He could tell by the lack of inquisitiveness in her tone that she knew he wasn't being honest and pressing for truthfulness. Something she had either learned to pick up on better than his Mother, or his Mother simply knew to let some things go.

"I'm fine Floof's, really. I feel better now." Vernon grumbled. "Just not very hungry."

The ewe placed a hoof on Vernon's paw, rubbing it affectionately.

"Well, I guess if everyone's more or less done eatin' we can start getting ready to head out." Audrey interjected. "We should probably start by figuring out who's riding with who."

Vernon winced as he recalled the number of cars available to carry them to the fair. If he counted correctly, between the food truck, his Father's squad car, and his Mother's pick-up that limited the number to three cars in total. Vernon knew, thanks to Yuri's punishment he would be forced to ride in the food truck. And Dorian refused to let anyone drive his squad car but him. Vernon wasn't willing to be in the same car with either of them at the moment, the prospect of relentless mockery should he be stuck in the passengers seat next to Yuri, or painfully awkward silence that would come from sitting near his Father were almost equally unappealing. So that left Dawn and himself with no options other than his Mother's truck, which considering his Mother took up the driver's seat, left the pair split up once more. Unless he could convince Zach to take the pair in his squad car so they had some modicum of privacy and recovery time after the mornings events, but the wolf rarely used his squad car outside of work.

"Vernon?" The ewe asked. As Vernon turned to face Dawn he went to open his mouth to speak only to accidently gulp a large whiff of his Mother's perfume coming off the lamb. The odor burned his throat, causing him to let out a few hacking coughs as he turned away.

"Teeth to Tails!" Vernon hissed. "We really went overboard with that stuff!" The wolf wafted a paw in Dawn's direction in an effort to diffuse the smell. Dawn frowned sharply.

"I wasn't going to say anything..." Audrey spoke quietly. " But it is a little much. Tell me Darlin', do you always wear your perfume that thick or...?"

Vernon watched the ewe briskly shake her head, waiving her hooves pleadingly at the she-wolf. "Goodness no!" She stammered. "I'm so sorry I used so much, I just-just-"

"Ya'll don't need to say the reason. I don't need to know." Audrey assured. " I just hope it's helping..." Audrey trailed off as she seemed to struggle to find the words. "Whatever it is ya'll needed it for." The she-wolf scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

Vernon nearly laughed out loud. Of course his Mother knew, everyone more or less knew thanks to Yuri's little scene. The wolf wasn't sure what he found to be a more horrifying prospect, the fact that his mate now smelled like his Mother ready for a hot night on the town, or the fact that his Mother was aware that Vernon seemed to have such little self control when faced with his mates pheromones that the couple had resorted to something this drastic.

"I-It's nothin' against you Ma." Vernon stammered. "Really! I ju-"

"A sensory conflict." Xavier muttered, sliding his empty plate atop of Malcolm's. The red wolf rose to his feet and continued to collect empty plates as Xavier went on.

"A scent and a stimuli that aren't usually mentally associated with one another can be quite jarring, more so for certain..." The wolf lingered for a moment, seeming to be carefully choosing his words. "Relationships those connections pertain to."

"What he said." Vernon said, gesturing to his brother.

"Oh gods, ya'll don't need to go any further." The she wolf huffed, rising to her feet with her own empty plate. "I said I really don't need to know!"

"Is it bothering anyone else?" Dawn asked, twiddling her hooves together nervously.

"Nah, you just smell like air freshener." Qali said before clasping her paws over her muzzle. She eyed Audrey nervously, a deep blush peeking out under her fur. "I-I mean, no offense Mrs. Hunter. It smells great when you wear it!"

The she-wolf let out a scoff as she rolled her eyes. As she scooped Dawn's empty plate onto her own she let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told ya Qali, please call me Audrey." The wolfess said as she took Vernon's plate, laying it gently on top of the stack she was holding.

"I'm really lousing things up this morning." Vernon heard Qali mumble quietly.

Vernon groaned as he slumped his head into his paws again.

"It makes sense that it would only really bother Vernon all things considered." Xavier added, intertwining his fingers together as he leaned forward on the dining room table. "But Vernon dear brother, what exactly are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Vernon looked out from between his fingers at Xavier in confusion.

"I don't follow." The wolf muttered.

"Well." Xavier adjusted his glasses. "Surely like the rest of us you intended to spend time with your mate at the fair. Together, as a couple."

"He means a 'date'." Malcolm laughed. "Honestly Hon, you ain't in the courtroom so try to talk normal."

Xavier coughed awkwardly, adjusting his spectacles again. "Yes, well. How do you expect to go about that if Dawn's smell is so off putting?"

Vernon blinked at the wolf a few times in surprise. The wolf hadn't even considered that. Part of his big plan for the day was to have as much fun as possible with Dawn in an effort to make up for everything that had happened so far. To blot out every last bit of negativity brought on by the others members of his family by the sheer joy of experiencing the fair together, just the two of them. Yet the emergency plan Dawn had come up with now seemed to have created a roadblock that Vernon wasn't sure he could easily over come. It would barely make for a very good date if he had to remain a few feet away from her most of the day.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Audrey said. The she-wolf was handing her plates off to Malcolm creating one large pile. " The first note on my perfume is the most potent, it'll be more or less gone in a half hour. All and all it'll be totally gone by the afternoon."

"Notes?" Vernon asked.

"Layered scents." Audrey replied. "Perfumes are made up of scents that burn off throughout the day."

Dawn glanced at Vernon nervously for a second, then back to his Mother.

"W-what do I do-"

The she wolf held up a paw. "By then we'll be heading back home. You can borrow more if you need it."

The ewe gave a meek nod.

"But, I figured you guys were going to ride in the same car together." Wade added. "How are you gonna do that if-"

"Dawn can ride with us in the back of the pick-up." Vanna said. The tigress had been sitting in Ada's empty chair. By now she was on her second cup of coffee. "It would be a good way to introduce her to the rest of the girls proper."

"Now hold on-"

"I-I'd be okay with that." Dawn muttered.

Vernon stared at her in shock.

"I-I mean, as l-long as Vanna will be there." She added.

Vanna gave the ewe a nod, smirking slightly.

"Now wait a minute!" Vernon huffed. If there was one thing aside from Yuri that got under Vernon's pelt, it was being talked around. "I don't really know if that's such a hot idea."

"Why not?" Audrey asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Vernon dropped his paws to the table top, clenching his teeth in irritation.

"Ya'll act like I'm a puppy here." Vernon hissed. "Just because I don't like a smell doesn't mean I can't tolerate it! There's no reason we shouldn't be fine riding together."

"I know Honey." Audrey cooed. "But we're trying to make this easier on everyone, including you."

"Easier?" Vernon crossed his arms. "What would be easiest for me would be to make sure I'm around Dawn at all times here. I can't ju-"

"Puppy, yer bein' too overprotective again." Audrey chided.

The wolf ran a paw over his scalp before slamming it down on the table. 'Overprotective' had become an entirely meaningless word in the face of everything that had happened so far, and Vernon had begun to stop caring about how overprotective the rest of his family perceived him to be, especially when it came to his mates welfare.

"Overprotective!?" Vernon laughed sarcastically. "Sure, clearly the better idea is to just leave Dawn at ya'lls mercy! You think after all that's happened so far I'm gonna leave Dawn alone with any of ya'll!?" Vernon snarled.

The table seemed to fall silent, leaving the bitterness of Vernon's comment to hang in the ether. The awkward silence caused Vernon to immediately start to regret his words, and he quickly glanced over to Dawn in fear he had inadvertently offended her. She was frowning, but once his eyes were on her she seemed to be trying to smile. It was weak and forced, and in that instant the wolf felt slightly ashamed. Here he was complaining about the rest of the family treating him like a child while he was doing the same to the ewe he professed to love. It was a feeling made worse by looking out among the sea of faces all staring back at him in a mixture of confusion and in the case of his Mother, hurt.

"Vernon." She said sternly, a slight tremor in her cadence. "It's wrong of you to throw the rest of the family under the bus just because of your Father and Yuri's behavior!" The she-wolf crossed her arms "I've done nothing but try to make you and Dawn feel welcome, and there ain't another mammal seated at this table right now who's said anything out of turn!" Audrey's gaze flashed over Ulric briefly, causing her to grimace as the dark grey wolf seemed to falter slightly. "Well almost all the mammals seated here."

Vernon frowned as his Mother continued to heap spoonfuls of truth onto him, with each statement the wolf found himself releasing an involuntary whimper.

"Thinking you need to be around to protect Dawn from the rest of us is not only an insult to me, but I'm sure it's an insult to Dawn." Audrey lamented.

Vernon glanced at Dawn as his feeling of shame continued to deepen. The ewe wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem mad either. She was eyeing the wolf in what seemed to be a mixture of concern and worry. Vernon could feel her hoof wrap around his nearest paw, squeezing it tightly.

"I-I'm sorry Honey Lamb." Vernon muttered, averting his gaze.

"I-it's okay Puppy Love..." Dawn cooed. "I-I know it's just because you worry about me."

The wolf winced slightly, turning his attention to the rest of the table. The other mammals were still more or less silent.

"I-I'm sorry guys. I-"

"Don't Vernon, believe me I understand." Xavier cut him off.

"Yuri gets all of us pretty riled up, he's practically got that down to a science." Trenton added.

"The first time I brought Malcolm home he was making the most vile wisecracks." Xavier grimaced. "He got me so worked up I nearly broke a dinner plate over his head."

Trenton chuckled. "And Xavier is a lawyer, he's paid to keep his composure as cool and analytical as possible."

"Key words being 'he's paid'. I don't get paid to keep my composure together in the face of Yuri's 'charming presence'." Xavier scoffed.

Trenton leaned over Qali, placing a paw on Vernon's shoulder. The white wolf gave Vernon a smile that seemed to ooze confidence and reassurance.

"Regardless, listen to Ma." Trenton said. " I can't speak for everyone else here, but I've got nothing against you and Dawn."

"Me too!" Qali piped up, placing a paw on Trent's elbow.

"I second that." Xavier added, adjusting his spectacles. "Both from a legal standpoint, as Dawn has fulfilled her debt to society, as well as from a brotherly standpoint."

"Could ya'll sound anymore like a robot?" Malcolm gave Xavier a playful elbow as gathered together the last of the silverware. The red wolf turned toward the kitchen, only to take two steps before glancing back at the family table.

"Oh, and I'm with ya'll too." Malcolm said, grinning broadly as he turned back toward the kitchen with his load of dishes. As the red wolf disappeared behind the door frame, Ulric suddenly rose to his feet. The wolf had been largely quiet since his own outburst, only letting out the occasional mutterings since being shouted down.

"I-" The wolf glanced at Vernon, then at Dawn, his eyes darting back and forth as the cagey wolf seemed to be trying to process what to say in the face of what he was looking at. "I-I better help Yuri out."

With that, Ulric quickly darted out of the room in the direction of the kitchen. Almost as quickly as he had disappeared behind the doorframe a loud crash erupted from somewhere in the kitchen.

"ULRIC, YOU DUMMY!" Vernon could hear Malcolm shouting loudly. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that the paranoid wolf had collided with the dishes Malcolm was carrying. Audrey sat back at the table, placing a paw to her head as she let out a sigh.

"Teeth to tails, at least those weren't the good dishes." The she-wolf muttered.

Despites Ulric's little flight or flight response, Vernon suddenly found himself feeling his spirit renewed. With Xavier and Trenton on his side, as well as their mates, more than half the family was now pulling for him and Dawn to really fit into the family. He had never hoped to change Yuri, or expected anything out of him other than humiliation, but he could accept that if the family largely didn't share his views on things. For a brief moment the wolf felt like the day could be salvaged, that he had a real shot of bringing his Father around and making Dawn a real member of the pack.

"Hey Vern?" Vernon turned to find Zach once again standing in the hall. The wolf was peeking around the archway, his face had uncertainty written all over it.

"C-can I talk to you for a minute?" Zach added.

Vernon crooked an eyebrow at the wolf in confusion. He was about to simply walk over to him when he remembered the thread of the conversation at hand. The wolf waived a paw at Zach dismissively.

"Yeah, give me a sec." Vernon replied.

Turning back to Dawn, Vernon gave her a soft smile. "You sure you wanna ride with the girls Mutton Chop?"

The ewe seemed to have a flicker of confidence shine behind her eyes as she nodded briskly.

"Yes Vernon, It'll be fun." Dawn smiled warmly.

"Well, mostly fun." Vanna said, sipping her coffee. "Qails and Ada don't have as good a taste when it comes to music as we do, but we'll manage."

Dawn stifled a giggle as the diminutive arctic fox crossed her arms and let out a huff. "Just because I like some of today's top hits doesn't mean I have bad taste in music!"

"Backstreet Bucks." Vanna replied with a smirk.

"They were my childhood! C'mon Vanna!" Qali yelped as she placed her paws on the table.

"I rest my case." Vanna said, taking another swig of her coffee.

Vernon smiled as Dawn tried to hide another giggle. This is what he wanted to see, how he wanted things to be for her. This little moment was like a fleeting golden glimmer of what the wolf had dared to hope introducing Dawn to the family would be like. It was almost enough to forget what happened at the start of breakfast.

The wolf gave her a playful tousle of her wooly poof as he rose to his feet. He could feel the ewe's playful swats as she pretended to protect herself.

"VeeeRRRNoooOOOoooN!" She whined as she adjusted the clump of wool atop her head, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

"Alrighty, I'll meet you all outside then." Vernon said, brushing his shirt free of whatever crumbs had accumulated there. Glancing over to Vanna, to wolf flashed her a slightly serious glance. Vernon pointed a stray finger at the large tigress.

"Keep her out of trouble." Vernon chuckled. His words were a playful jest, but his eyes said what he truly meant. And Vanna's stern nod told him she had gotten his message. 'keep her safe if things go wrong'.

Vernon leaned down, stealing a quick kiss of Dawn's cheek before heading making a half jog over to the hall. He could hear Dawn let out a surprised squeal as he put distance between them. He was sure he had left the ewe blushing fiercely, and on top of that he had managed to snag the kiss without inhaling the perfume.

As Vernon rounded the corner he could immediately feel the rising pleasant vibe in him begin to wither as his eyes fell on Zach. The russet tipped wolf was pacing in front of the main door, seemingly unaware that Vernon had entered. The nervous wolf ran a paw over his scalp as he continued to pace.

"Zach?" Vernon muttered quietly.

The wolf seemed to jump at the sound of his brothers voice. and clutched his chest briefly as he turned his attention to Vernon.

"H-hey little bro." Zach said with a shudder.

"Everything alright?" Vernon eyed the wolf curiously. It was a rare sight for Vernon to see the wolf this consternated.

"Y-Yeah, no. I mean." The wolf shook his head briskly. "I'm okay."

"You don't look it." Vernon murmured. "What's got your hackles up?"

Zach ran a paw over his scalp, glancing out the front doors side window for a moment as if he were afraid he was being watched. Turning back to Vernon, the wolf let out a long sigh.

"I- I spoke to Pa." Zach said solemnly.

Vernon grimaced as it became clear why to wolf seemed to be behaving so nervously. It was obvious the talk Zach had promised hadn't gone well.

"I see." Vernon murmured.

"Yeah." Zach replied.

The two remained silent for a moment. It was disappointing to say the least that Vernon wouldn't be expecting an apology to Dawn anytime soon by his Old Mam' for his behavior. Sadly it seemed they would have to rely heavily on their 'B Plan' of bringing the wolf around by impression alone. Still the wolf was at least appreciative of his brothers efforts, however for naught they may have turned out.

"Well, I appreciate you trying." Vernon huffed. "What exactly did he say anyway?""

The wolf glanced over his shoulder again, frowning deeper as he returned he glance on Vernon.

"H-He really kind of ignored what I was saying." Zach sighed.

"Should have figured." Vernon grumbled. "He's a stubborn as an ass."

Zach gave a simple, meek nod.

"Well, I guess I'll be riding in the food truck then." Vernon scratched the back of his head. "If Yuri's driving he won't be able to actually talk to me if I'm in the back. So that's a slight improvement on riding with you and Pa. I should probably ge-"

As Vernon went to turn away he felt Zach suddenly grasp him on the shoulder. Turning back to his brother he seemed to be even more nervous than before. It was quickly becoming clear there was something more deeply wrong he had yet to tell the wolf.

"P-Pa..." The wolf swallowed hard. "Pa thinks it would be best the for the family if..." The wolf trailed off, tugging at the neck of his hoodie. "You two hung back here for the day."

Vernon stared blankly at his brother for a few moments. He couldn't have heard that correctly, could he? Vernon blinked a few times before it finally began to register.

"What?" Vernon said, irritation and disbelief lacing his inflection.

Zach let out a whine, placing a paw over his face as he started to stammer.

"H-He thinks, I mean, T-the townsfolk, U-Uh..."

Vernon clasped his paws on his brothers shoulders, giving him a brisk shake.

"Out with it Mam'!" Vernon sneered.

"Pa thinks that between you two being a predator prey couple, and who Dawn is th-th-tha-" The wolf stammered.

Vernon gave him another shake, harsher than before as his blood began to boil.

"THAT WHAT!?" Vernon snarled.

"That it'll cause a huge stir!" Zach sputtered. "Maybe a scene! And Pa thinks it could cause trouble for the whole family's reputation!"

As Zach sputtered out his last few statements with rising panic, Vernon finally released his grip, practically shoving the wolf away as the last of the painful statement hit him. Vernon felt like the ground was falling out from beneath him, the surreality and irony of situation leaving the wolf feeling almost hollow. He could feel the acid rise in his gullet as his nausea returned in full force. Vernon tried to stare his brother dead in the eyes, but he had grown so angry he couldn't even see straight.

Interspecies relationships among the family had never caused his Father to 'fear' how the public would perceive the family before. It hadn't mattered with Zach and Vanna, nor Yuri and Ada, or Trent and Qali. In fact, Vernon imagined the Hunter's were known to the native Meadowlanders as having somewhat of a monopoly on 'unconventional' relationships. Sure predator and prey relationships were rare, something that mammals tended to whisper about behind closed doors. But Vernon found the prospect of his and Dawn's relationship causing a scene of something completely preposterous. Especially considering Meadowlands came off as a much more socially tamer place compared to Zootopia proper. To Vernon's recollection, a mammal getting accosted in the meadowlands for their life choices was a rare as a shooting star.

No, it was clear to Vernon this was more about who Dawn was, and what implications that could have for the family. Despite her hardship endured during her time and prison, and her effort to reform. Despite nearly getting killed multiple times, and ultimately having to kill her own Father to save the city, it somehow failed to be enough for the older wolf to give the lamb a shot. Dawn being around was somehow a risk to the Hunter's family image, the feelings of a bunch of strangers mattered more than the feelings of his own son. And what made him even more enraged was that his Father hadn't even had the courage to tell him face to face. Instead he had twisted Zach's arm into acting as an arbiter for his orders.

"That's insane!" Vernon spat. "How dare he insinuate, to even-I-" Vernon shook his head. He was becoming more livid the more he thought about his Father, and it strangled his words.

"I mean, can you believe that!?" Vernon hissed. "That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard!"

Zach remained quiet, his eyes darting around as he tapped his claws together.

"W-well it's not entirely implausible..." Vernon could hear Zach mutter.

Vernon was sure he was going deaf. He had to be seeing as this was the second time in just a few moments the wolf wasn't sure of what he was hearing. Vernon stared hard at Zach, and the wolf began to shrink away.

"What?" Vernon asked, his voice trembling.

Zach placed a paw over his muzzle. "W-well I mean..." He stammered. "The way Pa p-put it, w-well..." He trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I hadn't thought about it that way before."

Vernon blinked at the wolf in utter shock.

"Y-you agree with him?" Vernon muttered, his voice faltering as he spoke.

Zach winced. "Well, I mean Dawn's pretty w-well known. Who k-knows what kind of mammals would come out of the wood-work in pu-"

"I- I can't believe you." Vernon's voice cracked. The wolf could barely process what Zach was saying.

"It's just safer if you two-"

"Do you have a problem with us being together!?" Vernon growled, he could feel the fur on the back of his neck stand up as he found himself looming over Zach. The smaller wolf placed his paws up defensively, frantically waiving them.

"NO! No of course not!" Zach whined. "But other mammals at the fair might no-"

"WE'RE GOING! UNDERSTAND!?" Vernon was seething, his blood boiling over. He could feel his heart beating in his ears, nearly drowning out his brothers voice over the rapid rhythm. "Neither one of you is going to tell us we ain't! GOT IT!"

Vernon slammed a paw into the nearby wall causing it to tremble slightly. It hurt, but the wolf could barely register it over the blind rage he was feeling. It was bad enough to have his Father try to exclude him from the families traditions, but for his own brother to agree was practically treasonous.

"If ol' Mam Hunter has a problem with it he can talk to me in person and see how that shakes out!" Zach continued to shrink away, until he was finally back against the wall. "I don't need his lapdog trying to convince me to see things his way!"

"WE'RE GOING!" Vernon was in Zach's face now, and the smaller wolf began to slide down the wall.

"Y-yeah, y-yeah, okay." Zach placed his paws out defensively.

With a huff, Vernon pushed himself away from the wall and turned back toward the kitchen. With a final glance back at his now crumpled and pathetic looking brother, the wolf flashed a sharp sneer.

"I ain't telling Dawn about this, and you better not either. We are going to have a great time today, understand?" Vernon hissed. "In spite of that old mangy mongrel Rutter! And you can tell him as much. I just hope staying in his good graces was worth it Zach, I really do." Turning back to the door the wolf continued toward the dining room.

"Do me a favor, and steer clear of me for the rest of the day. Got it?"

"G-g-got it." Vernon heard a whimpering reply.

And with that, Vernon stormed his way out through the now empty dining hall. The sooner he was alone in the back of the corn truck, the better.

#Zootopia #dawn bellwether #Assistant Mayor Bellwether #fanfiction #furry #ask blog #romance #Drama #fan character #wasted time

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bapyess1r · 6 years ago

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Sum��n Bitch: pt 9

|June...|

It was my 20th birthday. However, granted all my birthdays sucked in one form or another, this one seemed to be considerably the worst. Sure I graduated with honors and all that. I put in a few applications just to see if I’d even get in to some schools. I got into three: Princeton, Stanford, and UCSB. My father was excited for me and so was Dean. My graduation party consisted of him, my father, and Dean. Literally the only people I ever talked to while I lived in Lawrence. My dad baked a cake for me in the kitchen while John cooked a few burgers on the grill in our backyard outside. Dean made a few Throughout the year, not only did I grow as a scholar but I grew as a witch as well. Dean was teaching me more and more and I studied more and more. I was powerful enough to be Matilda by now. It wasn’t Hermione Granger stat or anything but it was enough to have fun with. On this day, I was extremely melancholic. After the party, I caught my father looking at old pictures of me with my mother. My birth mother was the love of his life. He’d been struggling to keep his heart happy since she passed. According to him, I’m a lot like her. I figured having me around wasn’t as easy as he made it to be. Then he went through pictures of him and Stephanie. Even though she came at me wrong, I knew he still missed her. It had been a while since he found someone who clicked with him. I wanted to do right by him for a change.

Dean picked me up late to go cause some trouble in the streets as we would do. Since these new powers, we’d been pranking people with things like making people’s soups explode in their faces or levitating half of their plates over to us. One time we even stole a whole two pies from a diner and they had no clue it even happened. He’d take me to bars and we’d sing karaoke and dance. Another time, I even dragged him to the mall. Between all these great things though, Dean would leave at the drop of a hat. Any time his father called, he was ready. Throughout the year, he’d leave suddenly for a hunt. It started to surprise me less and less. In the middle of the school year, he left for three months. The entire time he was gone, he did not text me, he didn’t call, he wouldn’t email…. This wasn’t the first time he’d left on a hunt and decided not to contact me. And when I asked him why, his answer was always: “In this life, with this job I have, I refuse to lose anybody else.” I would groan for the umpteenth time and complain how I just wanted to know what was going on. “I don’t want to be the reason that your father has to call me to tell me that you’re dead.” He would say.

��I’m not the one hunting, Dean! You are!” I would snap. Every single time he left, it would be like this. Over time, I just became more and more numb. He’d leave and when he’d return, my attitude was just the same. I wasn’t as happy with him as I once was. I figured that maybe it was time to move on. My Grammy always told me, “Don’t stay for the boys. Stay for growth.” There was nothing else to help me grow anymore. I decided that the only logical move for me would be college. And I knew for a fact that Dean wouldn’t be all too happy about it. I had a very busy day ahead of me. took time to think it over. I didn’t know what was the best for me yet so I did a bunch of unnecessary research on all the schools and the majors that seemed the most interesting. After sharing them with my father, I hopped in my ol’ beat up Ford and drove to the garage to see John for a fresh set of eyes. Dean was off handling a short mission for the day which was absolutely perfect. I didn’t want to tell him just yet.

When he heard the sound of my rickety truck turning into the parking lot, he’d peek behind the hood of his project and grin, wiping his large dirty hands with a towel. “Maya! Good to see you!” He smiled, hugging me briefly. “Deano’s not workin’ today. He went to go handle some yard work at his grandmother’s.” He said. I knew it was a lie but my smile never faltered. When Dean explained to me how he was raised…. it just didn’t seem fair. I could see where John was coming from but I didn’t think his wife would like it much. He turned to continue work under the hood of the beige Prius. “He should be home by the end of the day. I know that’s when you two hangout anyways.”

“Actually… I'm not here for Dean today. I was looking for you!” I chuckled leaning against the car door. He flashed me a shy but radiant Winchester smile. ‘Yeah, he’s his father’s son alright…’ I thought as I rushed to my truck to gather my research. He threw his towel on a desk nearby and met me halfway to look at my papers.

“What’s all this?” He asked.

“Well, I was looking at schools the other night and I’m kinda having a hard time deciding where to go. I showed my dad and he thinks Stanford, which I kinda like. I just needed a fresh set of eyes to see where they thought I should go…” I explained.

“College. Wow. You know my other son, Dean’s brother Sam. He goes to Stanford. Undergrad Law.” He told me with a big smile. He seemed proud to be able to tell people that. “I visited there one day just to kinda...check up on him. It’s a nice campus. Do you know what you’re going to school for?”

“Well not just yet…. UCSB has a Zoology course that I’d love to take but unfortunately that’s all that seemed remotely interesting to me there. Stanford has Biology and Theater and Performance which would be ideal for me… Princeton has music and psychology….”

“That could be cool. Princeton is pretty pricey though, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… you’re right… Stanford is really sounding like a good move right now.”

“Shouldn’t you be talking to Dean about this stuff? I mean you guys are close-”

“He doesn’t even know that I’m going��.or at the least just considered it.”

“Oh boy…”

“Yeah. I know… I don’t know when the right time to tell him is…. do I do it now or wait until a week before I leave?.... that day I leave? Y’know it’s like…. it’s just difficult.” I frowned as John turned to his toolbox.

“Man… that’s gonna hurt him. I tell ya- Dean has been around the block but I have never seen him talk about a girl the way he talks about you.” He said shaking a finger at me before delving into his work again. I wrinkled my brows.

“Yup. Just keep rubbing salt in the wound. While you’re at it, wanna throw some Isopropyl on it too?” I joked. John gave a hearty boisterous laugh; one that was much too similar to his eldest son’s. I could see where his charm came from. The beauty had to have come from his mother. In the small awkward silence, John forced a laugh he thought I couldn’t hear. I looked to him as his face contorted a bit.

“Hey uh… you aren’t still messing with those crystals are ya?” He asked. I narrowed my eyes and gave a confused smile.

“Eeeeyeah….. I think I’ve moved beyond that in the past year…” I said picking my words.

“Don’t go too deep into that stuff, sweetheart…. that’s something people don’t normally take too kindly around here…” he warned me. I mentally groaned. I had too many people telling me that. Dean never missed a chance to tell me so. He acted like a strict teacher when I would go off on my own to learn things. He would deem them unsafe. He’d say that I could get hurt or worse…. I already knew my soul was on the line when I played with magic. I was leaning towards giving it up for a while anyways. I wanted to be a normal college kid that my father could be proud of. Instead of saying something borderline out of pocket, I decided to just give a smile and shuffle my feet.

“I haven’t been practicing much recently…. I’m so damn weird I’m scaring off my dad’s dates.” I chuckled feeling bad all of a sudden. I took a deep breath to keep my emotions in check.

“There’s nothing wrong with bein’ a little weird, Maya. I’ve always told you that. I’ve grown to care about you like the daughter I never had so I’ll always be there for ya. No matter where ya go.” He smiled.

“Aww!” I grinned softly before going over to hug him and he kissed the top of my head. “Alrighty then… I’ll leave you to your work. I’m gonna go take a drive to think about some stuff…”

“Alright, kiddo. See ya ‘round.” He said waving to me as I backed away towards my car. I was going to drive to the lake to clear my head. Before Dean left, he stocked my tool box with small coolers full of beer. I planned to drink as much as possible tonight.

#dean winchester #sam and dean #sam winchester #supernatural #supernatural headcannons #supernatural imagines #supernatural poc #supernatural fandom #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural smut #john winchester #dean winchester smut #sam winchester smut #sam winchester x oc #dean winchester x oc #supernatural fanfic #sumnbitch #fictober18

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blackkudos · 7 years ago

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Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American retired professional basketball player, who played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed "The Worm" and was known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities.

Apart from basketball, Rodman is a retired part-time professional wrestler and actor. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events. In professional wrestling, Rodman was the first ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show The Rodman World Tour, and had lead roles in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). Both films were critically panned, with the former earning Rodman a triple Razzie Award. He appeared in several reality TV series and was the winner of the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole.

Early life and education

After his father left, Shirley took many odd jobs to support the family, up to four at the same time. In his 1997 biography Bad As I Wanna Be, he expresses his feelings for his father: "I haven't seen my father in more than 30 years, so what's there to miss ... I just look at it like this: Some man brought me into this world. That doesn't mean I have a father". (He would not meet his father again until 2012.)

While attending South Oak Cliff High School, Rodman was a gym class student of future Texas A&M basketball coach Gary Blair. Blair coached Rodman's sisters Debra and Kim, winning three state championships. However, Rodman was not considered an athletic standout. According to Rodman, he was "unable to hit a layup" and was listed in the high school basketball teams, but was either benched or cut from the squads. Measuring only 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) as a freshman in high school, he also failed to make the football teams and was "totally devastated". After finishing school, Rodman worked as an overnight janitor at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. He then experienced a sudden growth spurt and decided to try basketball again despite becoming even more withdrawn because he felt odd in his own body.

A family friend tipped off the head coach of Cooke County College (now North Central Texas College) in Gainesville, Texas. In his single semester there, he averaged 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds, before flunking out due to poor academic performance. After his short stint in Gainesville, he transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school. There, Rodman was a three-time NAIA All-American and led the NAIA in rebounding in both the 1984–1985 and 1985–1986 seasons. In three seasons there, 1983–1984 through 1985–1986, he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds, led the NAIA in rebounding twice and registered a .637 field goal percentage. At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft camp for NBA hopefuls, he won Most Valuable Player honors and caught the attention of the Detroit Pistons.

During college Rodman worked at a summer youth basketball camp, where he befriended camper Bryne Rich, who was shy and withdrawn due to a hunting accident in which he mistakenly shot and killed his best friend. The two became almost inseparable and formed a close bond. Rich invited Rodman to his rural Oklahoma home; at first, Rodman was not well-received by the Riches because he was black. But the Riches were so grateful to him for bringing their son out of his shell that they were able to set aside their prejudices. Although Rodman had severe family and personal issues himself, he "adopted" the Riches as his own in 1982 and went from the city life to "driving a tractor and messing with cows". Though Rodman credited the Riches as his "surrogate family" that helped him through college, as of 2013 he had stopped communicating with the Rich family for reasons unknown to them.

Basketball career

Detroit Pistons1986–1989

Rodman made himself eligible for the 1986 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as the 3rd pick in the second round (27th overall), joining the rugged team of coach Chuck Daly that was called "Bad Boys" for their hard-nosed approach to basketball. The squad featured Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars at the guard positions, Adrian Dantley and Sidney Green at forward, and center Bill Laimbeer. Bench players who played more than 15 minutes per game were sixth man Vinnie Johnson and the backup forwards Rick Mahorn and John Salley. Rodman fit well into this ensemble, providing 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and some tough defense in 15.0 minutes of playing time per game.

Winning 52 games, the Pistons comfortably entered the 1987 NBA Playoffs. They swept the Washington Bullets and soundly beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, but bowed out in seven matches against the archrival Boston Celtics in what was called one of the physically and mentally toughest series ever. Rodman feuded with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson and taunted Johnson in the closing seconds when he waved his right hand over his own head. When the Celtics took Game Seven, Johnson went back at Rodman in the last moments of the game and mimicked his taunting gesture.

In the following 1987–1988 season, Rodman steadily improved his stats, averaging 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds and starting in 32 of 82 regular season games. The Pistons fought their way into the 1988 NBA Finals, and took a 3–2 lead, but lost in seven games against the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game Six, the Pistons were down by one point with eight seconds to go; Dumars missed a shot, and Rodman just fell short of an offensive rebound and a putback which could have won the title. In Game Seven, L.A. led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Rodman's defense helped cut down the lead to six with 3:52 minutes to go and to two with one minute to go. But then, he fouled Magic Johnson, who hit a free throw, missed an ill-advised shot with 39 seconds to go, and the Pistons never recovered. In that year, he and his girlfriend Annie had a daughter they named Alexis.

Rodman remained a bench player during the 1988–1989 season, averaging 9.0 points and 9.4 rebounds in 27 minutes, yet providing such effective defense that he was voted into the All-Defensive Team, the first of eight times in his career. He also began seeing more playing time after Adrian Dantley was traded at midseason to Dallas for Mark Aguirre. In that season, the Pistons finally vanquished their playoffs bane by sweeping the Boston Celtics, then winning in six games versus the Chicago Bulls—including scoring champion Michael Jordan—and easily defeating the Lakers 4–0 in the 1989 NBA Finals. Although he was hampered by back spasms, Rodman dominated the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3 and providing tough interior defense.

1989–1993

In the 1989–1990 season, Detroit lost perennial defensive forward Rick Mahorn when he was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves in that year's expansion draft and ended up on the Philadelphia 76ers when the Pistons could not reacquire him. It was feared that the loss of Mahorn – average in talent, but high on hustle and widely considered a vital cog of the "Bad Boys" teams – would diminish the Pistons’ spirit, but Rodman seamlessly took over his role. He went on to win his first big individual accolade. Averaging 8.8 points and 9.7 rebounds while starting in the last 43 regular season games, he established himself as the best defensive player in the game; during this period, the Pistons won 59 games, and Rodman was lauded by the NBA "for his defense and rebounding skills, which were unparalleled in the league". For his feats, he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award; he also connected on a .595 field goal percentage, which made him the most precise shooter of the league. In the 1990 NBA Playoffs, the Pistons beat the Bulls again, and in the 1990 NBA Finals, Detroit met the Portland Trail Blazers. Rodman suffered from an injured ankle and was often replaced by Mark Aguirre, but even without his defensive hustle, Detroit beat Portland in five games and claimed their second title.

During the 1990–1991 season, Rodman finally established himself as the starting small forward of the Pistons. He played such strong defense that the NBA stated he "could shut down any opposing player, from point guard to center". After coming off the bench for most of his earlier years, he finally started in 77 of the 82 regular season games, averaged 8.2 points and 12.5 rebounds and won his second Defensive Player of the Year Award. In the 1991 NBA Playoffs, however, the Pistons were swept by the championship-winning Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the 1991–1992 season where Rodman made a remarkable leap in his rebounding, collecting an astounding 18.7 rebounds per game (1,530 in total), winning his first of seven consecutive rebounding crowns, along with scoring 9.8 points per game, and making his first All-NBA Team. His 1,530 rebounds (the most since Wilt Chamberlain's 1,572 in the 1971–1972 season) have never been surpassed since then; the best mark not set by Rodman is by Kevin Willis, who grabbed 1,258 boards that same season. Willis lamented that Rodman had an advantage in winning the rebounding title with his lack of offensive responsibilities. In a March 1992 game, Rodman totaled a career high 34 rebounds. However, the aging Pistons were eliminated by the upcoming New York Knicks in the First round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs.

Rodman experienced a tough loss when coach Chuck Daly, whom he had admired as a surrogate father, resigned in May; Rodman skipped the preseason camp and was fined $68,000. The following 1992–1993 season was even more tumultuous. Rodman and Annie Bakes, the mother of his daughter Alexis, were divorcing after a short marriage, an experience which left him traumatized. The Pistons won only 40 games and missed the 1993 NBA Playoffs entirely. One night in February 1993, Rodman was found asleep in his car with a loaded rifle. Four years later in his biography As Bad As I Wanna Be, he confessed having thought about suicide and described that night as an epiphany: "I decided that instead [of killing myself] I was gonna kill the impostor that was leading Dennis Rodman to a place he didn't want to go ... So I just said, 'I'm going to live my life the way I want to live it and be happy doing it.' At that moment I tamed [sic] my whole life around. I killed the person I didn't want to be." The book was later adapted for a TV movie Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story. Although he had three years and $11.8 million remaining on his contract, Rodman demanded a trade. On October 1, 1993, the Pistons dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs

In the 1993–1994 NBA season, Rodman joined a Spurs team which was built around perennial All-Star center David Robinson, with a supporting cast of forwards Dale Ellis, Willie Anderson and guard Vinny Del Negro. On the hardwood, Rodman now was played as a power forward and won his third straight rebounding title, averaging 17.3 boards per game, along with another All-Defensive Team call-up. Living up to his promise of killing the "shy imposter" and "being himself" instead, Rodman began to show first signs of unconventional behavior: before the first game, he shaved his hair and dyed it blonde, which was followed up by stints with red, purple, blue hair and a look inspired from the film Demolition Man. During the season, he headbutted Stacey King and John Stockton, refused to leave the hardwood once after being ejected, and had a highly publicized two-month affair with Madonna. The only player to whom Rodman related was reserve center Jack Haley, who earned his trust by not being shocked after a visit to a gay bar. However, despite a 55-win season, Rodman and the Spurs did not survive the first round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs and bowed out against the Utah Jazz in four games.

In the following 1994–1995 NBA season, Rodman clashed with the Spurs front office. He was suspended for the first three games, took a leave of absence on November 11, and was suspended again on December 7. He finally returned on December 10 after missing 19 games. After joining the team, he suffered a shoulder separation in a motorcycle accident, limiting his season to 49 games. Normally, he would not have qualified for any season records for missing so many games, but by grabbing 823 rebounds, he just surpassed the 800-rebound limit for listing players and won his fourth straight rebounding title by averaging 16.8 boards per game and made the All-NBA Team. In the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the 62-win Spurs with reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner Robinson entered the Western Conference Finals and were considered favorites against the reigning champions Houston Rockets who had only won 47 games. It was thought that Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon would have a hard time asserting himself versus Robinson and Rodman, who had both been voted into the NBA All-Defensive Teams. However, neither Robinson nor Rodman, who had disrupted a playoff game against the Lakers by sitting down on the court, could stop Olajuwon, who averaged 35.3 points against the elite defensive Spurs frontcourt, and helped eliminate the Spurs in six games.

Rodman admitted his frequent transgressions, but asserted that he lived his own life and thus a more honest life than most other people:

"I just took the chance to be my own man ... I just said: 'If you don't like it, kiss my ass.' ... Most people around the country, or around the world, are basically working people who want to be free, who want to be themselves. They look at me and see someone trying to do that ... I'm the guy who's showing people, hey, it's all right to be different. And I think they feel: 'Let's go and see this guy entertain us.'"

Chicago Bulls

Prior to the 1995–1996 NBA season, Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls of perennial scoring champion Michael Jordan for center Will Perdue and cash considerations to fill a large void at power forward left by Horace Grant, who left the Bulls prior to the 1994–1995 season. Given Rodman could not use the 10 jersey as the Bulls had retired it for Bob Love, and the NBA denied him the reversion 01, Rodman instead picked the number 91, whose digits add up to 10. Although the trade for the already 34-year-old and volatile Rodman was considered a gamble at that time, the power forward quickly adapted to his new environment, helped by the fact that his best friend Jack Haley was also traded to the Bulls. Under coach Phil Jackson, he averaged 5.5 points and 14.9 rebounds per game, winning yet another rebounding title, and was part of the great Bulls team that won 72 of 82 regular season games, an NBA record at the time. About playing next to iconic Jordan and hard-working Scottie Pippen, Rodman said:

"On the court, me and Michael are pretty calm and we can handle conversation. But as far as our lives go, I think he is moving in one direction and I'm going in the other. I mean, he's goin' north, I'm goin' south. And then you've got Scottie Pippen right in the middle. He's sort of the equator."

In the 1996 NBA Playoffs, Rodman scored 7.5 points and grabbed 13.7 rebounds per game and had a large part in the six-game victory against the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals: in Game Two at home in the Bulls' United Center, he grabbed 20 rebounds, among them a record-tying 11 offensive boards, and in Game Six, again at the United Center, the power forward secured 19 rebounds and again 11 offensive boards, scored five points in a decisive 12–2 Bulls run, unnerved opposing power forward Shawn Kemp and caused Seattle coach George Karl to say: "As you evaluate the series, Dennis Rodman won two basketball games. We controlled Dennis Rodman for four games. But Game 2 and tonight, he was the reason they were successful." His two games with 11 offensive rebounds each tied the NBA Finals record of Elvin Hayes.

In the 1996–1997 NBA season, Rodman won his sixth rebounding title in a row with 16.7 boards per game, along with 5.7 points per game, but failed to rank another All-Defensive Team call-up. However, he made more headlines for his notorious behavior. On January 15, 1997, he was involved in an incident during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin. Though he was not assessed a technical foul at the time, he ultimately paid Amos a $200,000 settlement, and the league suspended Rodman for 11 games without pay. Thus, he effectively lost $1 million. Missing another three games to suspensions, often getting technical fouls early in games and missing an additional 13 matches due to knee problems, Rodman was not as effective in the 1997 NBA Playoffs, in which the Bulls reached the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. He struggled to slow down Jazz power forward Karl Malone, but did his share to complete the six-game Bulls victory.

The regular season of the 1997–1998 NBA season ended with Rodman winning his seventh consecutive rebounding title with 15.0 boards per game, along with 4.7 points per game. He grabbed 20 or more rebounds 11 times, among them a 29-board outburst against the Atlanta Hawks and 15 offensive boards (along with ten defensive) versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Led by the aging Jordan and Rodman (respectively 35 and 37 years old), the Bulls reached the 1998 NBA Finals, again versus the Jazz. After playing strong defense on Malone in the first three games, he caused major consternation when he left his team prior to Game Four to go wrestling with Hulk Hogan. He was fined $20,000, but it was not even ten percent of what he earned with this stint. However, Rodman's on-court performance remained top-notch, again shutting down Malone in Game Four until the latter scored 39 points in a Jazz Game Five win, bringing the series to 3–2 from the Bulls perspective. In Game Six, Jordan hit the decisive basket after a memorable drive on Jazz forward Bryon Russell, the Bulls won their third title in a row and Rodman his fifth ring.

Twilight years

After the 1997–1998 NBA season, the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase, largely at the behest of then-general manager Jerry Krause. Head coach Phil Jackson and several members of the team left via free agency or retirement, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, and Jud Buechler. Rodman was released by the Bulls on January 21, 1999, before the start of the lockout-shortened 1998–99 NBA season. With his sister acting as his agent at the time, Rodman joined the Los Angeles Lakers, for a pro-rated salary for the remainder of the 1998–1999 season. With the Lakers he only played in 23 games and was released.

In the 1999–2000 NBA season, the then-38-year-old power forward was signed by the Dallas Mavericks, meaning that Rodman returned to the place where he grew up. For the Mavericks, he played 12 games, was ejected twice and alienated the franchise with his erratic behavior until he was waived again; Dallas guard Steve Nash commented that Rodman "never wanted to be [a Maverick]" and therefore was unmotivated. Despite the negative feedback, Rodman averaged 14.3 rebounds per game. This would have been enough to lead the league had he played enough games to qualify.

NBA career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs

Post-NBA years

After his NBA career, Rodman took a long break from basketball and concentrated on his film career and on wrestling.

After a longer hiatus, Rodman returned to play basketball for the Long Beach Jam of the newly formed American Basketball Association during the 2003–2004 season, with hopes of being called up to the NBA midseason. While he didn't get that desire that season, he did help the Jam win the ABA championship in their inaugural season. He also played in Mexico, with Fuerza Regia in 2004. In the following 2004–2005 season, he signed with the ABA's Orange County Crush and the following season with the league's Tijuana Dragons. After retiring from wrestling, Rodman became Commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005.

The return to the NBA never materialized, but on January 26, 2006, it was announced that Rodman had signed a one-game "experiment" deal for the UK basketball team Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League to play Guildford Heat on January 28, and went on to play three games for the Bears. In spring 2006, he played two exhibition games in the Philippines along with NBA ex-stars Darryl Dawkins, Kevin Willis, Calvin Murphy, Otis Birdsong and Alex English. On April 27, they defeated a team of former Philippine Basketball Association stars in Mandaue City, Cebu and Rodman scored five points and grabbed 18 rebounds. On May 1, 2006, Rodman's team played their second game and lost to the Philippine national basketball team 110–102 at the Araneta Coliseum, where he scored three points and recorded 16 rebounds.

In 2005, Rodman made two visits to Finland. At first, he was present at Sonkajärvi in July in a wife-carrying contest. However, he resigned from the contest due to health problems. In November, he played one match for Torpan Pojat of the Finland's basketball league, Korisliiga.

That same year, Rodman published his second autobiography, I Should Be Dead By Now; he promoted the book by sitting in a coffin.

On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Rodman would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In March 2013, Rodman arrived at the Vatican City during voting in the papal conclave for the selection of a new pope. The trip was organized by an Irish gambling company. "I'm just promoting this website. It's a gambling website, and it's about people who are going to bet on the new pope, and if he's black, you get your money back", said Rodman.

In July 2013, Rodman joined Premier Brands to launch and promote Bad Boy Vodka.

On July 24, 2015, Rodman publicly endorsed Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Rodman and U.S. President Trump had previously appeared together on Celebrity Apprentice.

North Korea visits

On February 26, 2013, Rodman made a trip to North Korea with Vice Media correspondent Ryan Duffy to host basketball exhibitions. He met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Rodman and his travel party were the first known Americans to have met Kim. He later said Kim was "a friend for life" and suggested that President Barack Obama "pick up the phone and call" Kim since the two leaders were basketball fans. On May 7, after reading an article from The Seattle Times, Rodman sent out a tweet asking Kim to release American prisoner Kenneth Bae, who had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea.

On September 3, 2013, Rodman flew to Pyongyang for another meeting with Kim Jong-un. Rodman said that Kim has a daughter named Kim Ju-ae, and that he is a "great dad". Rodman also noted that he planned to train the North Korean national basketball team. Rodman stated that he is "trying to open Obama's and everyone's minds" and encouraged Obama to reach out to Kim Jong-un.

In July, 2013, Rodman told Sports Illustrated: "My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it’s been left to me to smooth things over, I don’t know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job; it’s the black guy’s [Obama's] job. But I’ll tell you this: If I don’t finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something’s seriously wrong."

In December 2013, Rodman announced he would visit North Korea again. He also said he has plans to bring a number of former NBA players with him for an exhibition basketball tour. According to Rory Scott, a spokesman for the exhibitions' sponsoring organization, Rodman planned to visit December 18–21 and train the North Korean team in preparation for January games. The matchups were scheduled for January 8 (Kim Jong-un's birthday) and January 10, 2014. Included on the U.S. exhibition team were Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Sleepy Floyd, Charles D. Smith, and four streetballers. Rodman departed from Beijing on January 6. Organised by Paddy Power, among his entourage was the Irish media personality Matt Cooper, who had interviewed Rodman a number of times on radio.

On January 7, 2014, in North Korea prior to the exhibition games, Rodman made comments during a CNN interview implying that Kenneth Bae was at fault for his imprisonment. The remarks were widely reported in other media outlets and provoked a storm of criticism. Two days later, Rodman apologized for his comments, saying that he had been drinking and under pressure. He added that he "should know better than to make political statements". Some members of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups suggested that Rodman had become a public relations stunt for the North Korean government. On May 2, 2016, Kenneth Bae credited Rodman with his early release. He said that Rodman's rant raised awareness of his case and that he wanted to personally thank him for his expedited release.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is reportedly investigating whether Rodman broke the law by bringing Kim Jong-un thousands of dollars in luxury gifts on his most recent trip to North Korea.

Rodman's "hoops diplomacy" inspired a 20th Century Fox comedy, Diplomats. Tim Story and Peter Chernin are set to produce the film while Jonathan Abrams is reportedly writing the script.

Awards, records and achievements

Legacy

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1997–1999)

After getting suspended for the rest of the 1996–1997 NBA season, Rodman seriously took up his hobby of professional wrestling and appeared on the edition of March 10 of Monday Nitro with his friend Hollywood Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). At the March 1997 Uncensored event, he appeared as a member of the nWo. His first match was at the July 1997 Bash at the Beach event, where he teamed with Hogan in a loss to Lex Luger and The Giant. At the August 1997 Road Wild event, Rodman appeared as the Impostor Sting hitting Luger with a baseball bat to help Hogan win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

After the 1997–98 NBA season, where Rodman and the Chicago Bulls defeated Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals, Rodman and Malone squared off again, this time in a tag team match at the July 1998 Bash at the Beach event. He fought alongside Hulk Hogan, and Malone tagged along with Diamond Dallas Page. In a poorly received match, the two power forwards exchanged "rudimentary headlocks, slams and clotheslines" for 23 minutes. Rodman bested Malone again as he and Hogan picked up the win.

Rodman returned to WCW in 1999 and feuded with Randy Savage. This culminated in a match at Road Wild which Rodman lost.

i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling and retirement (2000)

On July 30, 2000, for the i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling pay-per-view event, he fought against i-Generation Champion Curt Hennig in an Australian Outback match. The event was subtitled Rodman Down Under. Hennig won the match by disqualification. Rodman refrained from wrestling at the top level and retired.

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling (2008)

In wrestlingChampionships and accomplishments

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling

Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament

Media appearances

In 2005, Rodman became the first man to pose naked for PETA's advertisement campaign "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur".

Since then he has appeared in few acting roles outside of playing himself. Rodman has made an appearance in an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun playing the character of himself, except being a fellow alien with the Solomon family. He voiced an animated version of himself in the Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XVI".

Rodman has also appeared in several reality soaps: in January 2006, Rodman appeared on the fourth version of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, and on July 26, 2006, in the UK series Love Island as a houseguest contracted to stay for a week. Finally, he appeared on the show Celebrity Mole on ABC. He wound up winning the $222,000 grand prize.

Rodman was the winner of Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament defeating other challengers such as Butterbean and Dustin Diamond.

In 2008, Rodman joined as a spokesman for a sports website OPENSports.com, the brainchild of Mike Levy founder and former CEO of CBS Sportsline.com. Rodman also writes a blog and occasionally answers members' questions for OPEN Sports.

In 2013, he appeared again as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. He raised $20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was the sixth contestant eliminated, on April 7, 2013.

Rodman's visits to North Korea were depicted in the 2015 documentary film Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in Pyongyang.

In 2017, Rodman was featured on the self-titled debut album from alternative R&B/hip-hop duo Mansionz. He provides vocals on the single "Dennis Rodman" and uncredited vocals on "i'm thinking about horses".

Personal life

Marriages

Rodman's first wife was Annie Bakes, with whom he had a daughter named Alexis (born 1988). They divorced in the early 1990s. Rodman married model Carmen Electra in November 1998 at the Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Electra filed for divorce in April 1999.

In 1999 Rodman met Michelle Moyer, with whom he had a son, D.J. (born 2000) and a daughter, Trinity (born 2001). Moyer and Rodman married in 2003 on his 42nd birthday. Michelle Rodman filed for divorce in 2004, although the couple spent several years attempting to reconcile. The marriage was officially dissolved in 2012 when Michelle Rodman again petitioned the court to grant a divorce. It was reported that Rodman owed $860,376 in child and spousal support.

Alcohol issues

Legal troubles

On November 5, 1999, Rodman and his then-wife, Carmen Electra, were charged with misdemeanors after police were notified of a domestic disturbance. Each posted $2,500 in bail and were released with a temporary restraining order placed on them.

In December 1999 Rodman was arrested for drunken driving and driving without a valid license. In July 2000, Rodman pleaded guilty to both charges and was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and was required to attend a three-month treatment program.

He was arrested in 2002 for interfering with police investigating a code violation at a restaurant he owned; the charges were eventually dropped. After settling down in Newport Beach, California, the police appeared over 70 times at his home because of loud parties. In early 2003, Rodman was arrested and charged with domestic violence at his home in Newport Beach for allegedly assaulting his then-fiancee.

In April 2004, Rodman pleaded nolo contendere to drunk driving in Las Vegas and was fined $1,000 and served 30 days of home detention. On April 30, 2008, Rodman was arrested following a domestic violence incident at a Los Angeles hotel. On June 24, 2008, he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor spousal battery charges and was sentenced to one year of domestic violence counseling and three years probation. He received 45 hours of community service, which were to involve some physical labor activities.

On November 21, 2016, Rodman was charged with causing a hit and run accident, lying to police, and driving without a license following an incident on Interstate 5 near Santa Ana, California, in July.

Politics

In July 2015, Dennis Rodman endorsed Donald Trump for president, tweeting "Donald Trump has been a great friend for many years. We don't need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump! Trump 2016."

Wikipedia

#Dennis Rodman #05-13

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