Player power in the NBA has been growing for the past few years and this has led to many issues boiling over. The latest case of Kyrie Irving demanding a trade or threatening to sit the season out is just another example of increased player power. However, when these things have extended to a league-wide level, it has resulted in lockouts. The most recent lockout occurred in 2011 and it was the fourth one to happen since 1995. One of the stars who was part of the first three lockouts was 5x NBA champion, Dennis Rodman.

While Rodman did not make many comments regarding the lockouts during his playing days, he was very vocal about the 2011 lockout. Despite last playing in the NBA in 2000, Rodman has managed to stay in the news due to his controversial antics. From his wild parties to visiting North Korea multiple times to meet ‘good friend’ Kim Jong-Un, Rodman has stayed true to his polarizing character. However, his comments about NBA players in 2011 didn’t sit well with the hoopers.

Dennis Rodman urged NBA players to bow down to the owners

According to Complex in 2011, Rodman made some strong statements against the NBA players during the lockout. He advised the players to bow down to the NBA owners. “I just think that…the players should bow down,” he said. “They should bow down.”

He continued, “In 1999, we [were locked out] and we missed half the season. The owners bowed down then. They gave the players everything. I think the players should do the same thing for the owners because today most of these teams are losing money”. Although he admitted that it wasn’t the players’ fault and blamed the owners for it, he urged the players to understand and move on.

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However, he bashed the players and their commitment to the game. He said, “I don’t think [the players] work that hard because most of the players don’t give a damn about the game. They want the money. I’m not taking the owners’ side. I just think the players should look at themselves. ‘OK, I’m making $16 million or $17 million a year, but what have I accomplished?’ Most of the players haven’t accomplished anything. That’s what you have to look at.”

The 2011 NBA lockout

The lockout ahead of the 2011-12 season lasted for 161 days and ended on December 8, 2011. The season started with the Christmas Day games and each team played a total of 66 games. The main issues dividing both sides were the division of revenue, and the structures of the salary cap and the luxury tax.

The owners suggested reducing the players’ share of Basketball Related Income (BRI) from 57% to 47%. However, the players countered with 53% of the BRI. In the end, an agreement was reached between both parties to split the revenue 49-51.2% and a flexible salary cap structure with a harsher luxury tax.

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This proved to be the last lockout to have occurred in the NBA. Fans hope the trend of no lockouts continues for the foreseeable future and they get to see their favorite stars light up the court night-in-night-out.