NBA
Dennis Rodman Believes the Detroit Pistons Made a Big Mistake Retiring His No. 10 Jersey
The Detroit Pistons drafted Dennis Rodman with the 27th overall pick in the 1986 draft out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. When the pick was made, no one could have predicted what Rodman ended up accomplishing in the NBA.
Despite only averaging 7.3 points per game during his NBA career, Rodman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. He won five championships, two with the Pistons and three with the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman is mostly remembered for what he did with the Pistons and Bulls since his stints with the San Antonio Spurs, LA Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks were short. The Worm will always have a lot of love for Detroit despite winning three straight titles in Chicago, but he believes the Pistons made a mistake in 2011.
Dennis Rodman won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards with the Pistons
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Dennis Rodman appeared in 549 games with the Pistons during the regular season. He averaged 8.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists 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 Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Dennis the Menace is fifth in Pistons franchise history in total rebounds. He grabbed 6,299. Rodman is also fifth in rebounds per game and holds the team record for most rebounds in a game with 34.
Rodman was traded to the Spurs on October 1, 1993. Despite not even being in the top-10 for games played in Detroit history, Rodman received the ultimate honor of getting his No. 10 jersey retired by the Pistons.
Surprisingly, though, Dennis Rodman doesn’t believe the Pistons should have retired his jersey.
Dennis Rodman got his Pistons jersey retired in 2011
The Pistons retired Dennis Rodman’s No. 10 jersey in 2011 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Ironically, the ceremony took place at halftime on April 1, 2011, during a Pistons-Bulls game.
While Rodman was emotional about his jersey getting retired by the Pistons, he told Graham Bensinger that Detroit shouldn’t have done it.
“I didn’t deserve that,” Rodman said. “I wasn’t there long enough to get my number retired. I mean, it would be different if it was more like OK great, I was a very major part of that organization. I was more like a piece of the puzzle. I was there for seven years. I actually didn’t become someone noticeable probably my third year, fourth year in that organization, and after that, it pretty much went downhill. I think I shouldn’t have got my number retired.”
The Pistons have retired 11 numbers. Dennis Rodman is proud to be a part of that group, but he truly thinks Detroit shouldn’t have retired his No. 10 uniform.
Will the Bulls ever retire No. 91?
Dennis Rodman only played three years with the Bulls, but he contributed mightily to their three-peat. Rodzilla led the NBA in rebounds per game during his three years in Chicago and was a monster on defense.
Rodman averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds in 199 games with the Bulls. Many Chicago fans believe the franchise should retire No. 91 since Rodman won three championships and is first in Bulls history in rebounds per game.
Four numbers have been retired by the Bulls. Only time will tell if Dennis Rodman’s No. 91 goes up in the rafters next to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan, and Bob Love.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference.