“I’m Going to Lose Everything… Please, Please Help Me.”: 5x NBA Champion Dennis Rodman Was Left Distraught After Running Into an Old Friend in 2003

Dwight Manley, friend and agent of Dennis Rodman, once revealed that the former NBA star had opened up to him about his financial situation. As detailed in a report by New York Times journalist Stephen Rodrick, Rodman broke down in front of Manley and desperately asked for his help. Rodrick noted this incident in his article ‘No Rebound.’ The article was published on June 1, 2003, and chronicled Rodman’s life after retirement. Having grown up without a father, Dennis Rodman had a significantly rough childhood. His relationship with the coach of the Detroit Pistons, Chuck Daly was the closest thing Rodman had to a father-son relationship. However, things went downhill for him when the Pistons fired Daly. The shy and introverted Rodman then went on to become ‘Dennis the Menace.'

After this, the drinking problem began

The NBA legend became an emotional mess after Daly’s departure. Shortly after the incident, Rodman started drinking, which according to his mother was something the chicago bulls legend was previously disgusted by. After playing one more year with the Pistons, Rodman was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. His appearance and personality went through drastic changes during his time with the Spurs. He would occasionally get into fights with the franchise front office and struggled to get on well with his teammates. As a result, the Spurs then traded him to the Chicago Bulls.

Dennis Rodman breaks down in front of a long-time friend

Dennis Rodman met Dwight Manley in Las Vegas in 1993. Apparently, Rodman had told Manley that he would be leaving the next day but Manley found him in the same place a week later. Instead of asking him to return home, Manley took Rodman to a concert and a bachelor party the same night. They immediately clicked and went on to become great friends. In a way, Manley had filled the empty space that Daly left in Rodman’s life. Slowly, Manley started handling Rodman’s business affairs and the duo succeeded in creating the ‘New Dennis Rodman’.

But the success and fame were short-lived and Rodman once again started going downhill. Additionally, he was losing his friend as Manley had moved in with his girlfriend and couldn’t be available for Rodman all the time. Gradually, ‘The Worm’ hit rock bottom in his career. Two days after Rodrick interviewed Rodman, he received a call from Manley. Apparently, Manley had met Rodman three weeks earlier at the restaurant that Rodman co-owned.

”We went into the back and he told me, ‘I’m going to lose everything — please, please help me.’ He was crying so hard, the snot was pouring out his nose. I told him to make the first step, to call me, but he never did. He’s just a shadow of what he was. It breaks my heart,” wrote Rodrick.

Manley had reportedly arranged an intervention for the former Pistons player after he saw Rodman’s condition. He had also roped in Michael Jordan and Chuck Daly for assistance. However, it remains unknown if the intervention ever took place or if it worked for Rodman in any way.
When Rodrick asked Manley if he felt responsible for the seven time rebounding champion’s messy situation, he simply replied that Rodman was bound to end up the way he did. Manley was just glad that the Rebound King got some great experiences and enjoyed the life that many dreamed of.

Since the interview with Rodrick in 2003, so many things have changed in Dennis Rodman’s life. The five-time NBA champion got inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. A year later, he got divorced from his then-wife Michelle Moyer due to irreconcilable differences. Rodman also became great friends with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un after he visited the country in 2013. However, after all those years of endless parties and gambling, Rodman is now left with an estimated net worth of only $500,000.

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