In 2011, the Detroit Pistons retired Dennis Rodman’s No. 10 jersey at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Ironically, the event took place at halftime on April 1, 2011, during a Pistons-Chicago Bulls game. Rodman has two NBA championships with the Pistons and three with the Bulls.
While Rodman was upset about his jersey being retired by the Pistons, he once told Graham Bensinger that Detroit should not have retired it.
“I didn’t deserve that,” Rodman explained. “I wasn’t there long enough to have my number retired.” I mean, it would be different if it was more like, “OK, great, I was a very important part of that organization.” I felt more like a piece of the puzzle. I was there seven years. I didn’t become very noticed until my third or fourth year in that group, and after that, things pretty much went downhill. I believe I shouldn’t have had my number retired.
The Pistons selected Rodman with the 27th overall choice in the 1986 NBA Draft out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. When the decision was made, no one could have predicted Rodman’s success in the NBA.
Despite scoring only 7.3 points per game in his NBA career, Rodman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rodman played 549 games for the Pistons during the regular season. He averaged 8.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocked shots while shooting 53.7% from the field.
Rodman was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. He led the league in rebounds per game two times while playing for the Pistons and helped Detroit win back-to-back championships against the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Rodman has the fifth-most overall rebounds in Pistons franchise history. He grabbed 6,299.
Rodman is also fifth in rebounds per game and holds the franchise record for most rebounds in a game (34).
Rodman only stayed with the Bulls for three years, yet he helped them win three consecutive championships. During his three seasons in Chicago, the forward led the NBA in rebounds per game and was a defensive force to reckon with.
Rodman averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds across 199 games with the Bulls. Many Chicago supporters believe No. 91 should be retired because Rodman won three championships and is the Bulls’ all-time leader in rebounds per game.
The Bulls have retired four numbers. Only time will tell if Rodman’s No. 91 hangs in the rafters alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan, and Bob Love.
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