Dennis Rodman’s on-and-off, eccentric nature garnered some attention in the 1990s. His unusual behavior against NBA opponents and frequent visits to Las Vegas even during the regular season kept him in the headlines. Some saw his lifestyle as unconventional, but Phil Jackson believed it was due to ADHD.
The former Chicago Bulls head coach explained his own thoughts in his 2013 memoir, Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. The 78-year-old initially praised Rodman’s drive to succeed during his first series campaign in 1995. Back then, the 5x champion was a man with a sense of purpose who was very in control of his emotions.
But in the next season, the scenario started to change significantly. Rodman apparently lost interest in the game and began exploring other sources of entertainment. This change in priorities made him appear to have changed in the eyes of outsiders. However, contrary to popular belief, Jackson identified the following as the root cause of this change:
“In my layman’s opinion, Dennis has an attention deficit disorder that limits his concentration. He had ADHD, which made him irritable and unpredictable.
In 2016, Jackson reiterated his opinion of Rodman, emphasizing his knowledge of psychology. Although there was no direct evidence of this, the 11-time champion head coach completely believed his diagnosis. He finally came to this conclusion after training “The Worm” for almost his four seasons and changing his management tactics several times.
How did Phil Jackson manage Dennis Rodman?
The complexity of Rodman’s personality made it difficult for Jackson to stick to his one management style. . As a result, the Montana native had to adapt to the situation before he finally mastered it. In his memoirs, the former Bulls coach detailed how he dealt with the striker, saying:
“He (Rodman) went through a period of great anxiety that lasted more than 48 hours. The pressure built up inside me and I finally had to let him go. At times like this, his agent would often ask me to give him a weekend off. They were going to go to Las Vegas and party for a few days. In the end, Dennis was devastated, but then he came back and continued training until he got his life back.”
This story was popular during Rodman’s time with the Bulls. However, after returning to the team, he risked everything every time to ensure victory. This ultimately led to his second three-point shot of the series, and Rodman was the driving force behind the success.