Michael Jordan was arguably the best player Phil Jackson ever coached. But not necessarily his favorite… Indeed, another league legend revealed that he would be favored by the Zen Master, more than His Airness.
It’s no secret, Dennis Rodman was quite a fanatic during his career. Sexual escapades, changing hair color, all-out parties with alcohol and women at will: the Hall of Famer did not miss one, especially during the second part of his career. It was not always easy to live with, which also explains why he only stayed a few months at the Spurs, the Lakers or the Mavs, in particular.
Nevertheless, all this does not prevent the fact that he was a member of two champion teams (Detroit and Chicago) and that he was each time a decisive player, even forming a legendary Big Three with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. And his contribution has been recognized at its fair value, as he recently explained during an interview. His Airness and especially Phil Jackson, coach of the legendary Bulls, gave him huge compliments in public:
Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson’s favorite
Michael Jordan once said that if he had to choose one player to improve his team, it would be me. And then there’s also Phil Jackson, when he was at his alma mater in Montana, at a seminar in front of regarding 10,000 people where he was asked, “Who’s the best basketball player you’ve ever had? never coached? He replied: “It will surprise you all, but Dennis Rodman was my favorite player to coach”.
Casually, it’s quite surprising to think that the one nicknamed the Zen Master was so fond of a player like The Worm, yet not the type to spread calm and serenity in a locker room. But Rodman instead brought self-sacrifice and absolutely all-time intensity to the court, fighting for every ball. Qualities highly appreciated by the tactician, considered a blue collar worker during his sports career with the Knicks, in particular.
However, Rodzilla remains Rodzilla, and it is easy to imagine that the coach with eleven rings has not always succeeded in channeling the messy side of the interior. Dennis the Menace recognizes this without difficulty, the choice of his former superior still seems to him just as nebulous:
Journalist : Do you know why Phil Jackson said that?
Rodman : Quite frankly, no idea.
Dennis Rodman therefore had a special place in the heart of Phil Jackson, despite his character not always so easy to manage. It remains to be seen how Michael Jordan took this revelation, he who was the spearhead of Chicago!
