Dennis Rodman was ‘innocent’ and ‘naive’ as Pistons rookie

Dennis Rodman is now known for being a flamboyant, wild character, but he wasn’t always that way. In fact, he was just the opposite.

The Third episode of “The Last Dance” documentary about the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls focused on Rodman. A few of Rodman’s former Detroit Pistons teammates, who painted a surprising picture of the former rebounding king, were interviewed.

“When he first came to Detroit, he was an innocent, beautiful person, but a little naive about the world,” Isiah Thomas said in the documentary.

“He was simple at that time. He would say, ‘man, you don’t know life till you can just go out, get away from everybody, make a fire, cook your food outside and just look at the stars,'” said John Salley.

Rodman even acknowledged he was tame and pretty normal while in college. It wasn’t until later in his playing career that he started to explore his wild side with dyed hair, tattoos, piercings and odd behavior.

Rodman played his first seven seasons with the Pistons, who drafted him out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He was a two-time All-Star, five-time rebounding champ and five-time NBA champion. He won two rings with the Pistons and three with the Bulls.