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“Wouldn’t Have Won Sh*t Without Dennis Rodman”: NBA Champion Makes Bold Claim on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen

Published 09/19/2021, 12:04 AM EDT

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The NBA in the 90s was dominated by one team, the Chicago Bulls. Led by Michael Jordan along with players like Scottie Pippen, the Bulls were unstoppable in the decade. Winning two three-peats, the Bulls were absolutely unstoppable.

Much of the success was due to the well built all-round team and the greatness of ‘Air Jordan’. While the Bulls’ first three peat was fabulous, their second three-peat with Dennis Rodman as their third star was arguably the most iconic of times in the NBA.

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The big three of MJ, Pippen and Rodman were simply one of the most balanced trios in NBA history. While Scottie and Jordan took care of the offensive end, it was Rodman who clamped on players and gave the team multiple second chances with his rebounding.

Robert Parish claims Michael Jordan and the Bulls wouldn’t have succeeded without Rodman

Dennis Rodman might be one of the most erratic personalities off the court, but on the court, ‘the Worm’ harrowed down on the opposition’s best player. Be it a center or a guard, Rodman’s incredible versatility meant that he could handle them all.

Former NBA champion Robert Parish recently spoke about Rodman. In a recent conversation with Sam Mitchell of the Sirius XM NBA Radio, Parish spoke about where Rodman excelled. “Defensive rebounding is all about will, not about skill. You gotta be willing to play defense, it’s a mindset…. and I think Dennis excelled in that.”

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The former Celtics’ star also had a bold claim about Jordan and the Bulls. “With all due respect to Jordan and Pippen, they wouldn’t have won sh*t without Dennis Rodman. I don’t care how great Michael is or how great Scottie is, they wouldn’t have won sh*t without Dennis Rodman.”

This is certainly a massive statement by Parish. Considering how iconic the duo of Jordan and Pippen was, claiming that they wouldn’t succeed is rather bold. While the duo of MJ and Pippen did succeed winning their first three-without Rodman, the team was significantly better with ‘the Worm’.

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In the three seasons the Bulls big three played, the Bulls made the top 3 of the defensive rating chart each season. To give some context, their record rating in the first three-peat was significantly lower as they didn’t even break top 5.

The team was also elite offensively as they had the best offensive rating in the league for the first two seasons. Rodman might not have chipped in with points, but there are no doubts that he made the team a defensive juggernaut. Would the Bulls have succeeded without Rodman during their second three-peat?

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Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

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Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
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