From marrying Madonna to signature sneakers
Looking back at the on-court shoes of Dennis Rodman.
How does a player that never averaged more than 8 shots a game throughout his entire career, end up with a Nike signature shoe? To the knowledge of the District 5ive Research Institution, this has only ever happened once.
Dennis Rodman was incredibly skilled but it was his antics off the court that made headlines. From his early days with the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons, the on-court career of Dennis Rodman has been… different. A player that made a living off the 1%ers. He knew his role and he did better than anybody. He got rebounds and played defence. Standing at only 6’7”, he won seven rebounding titles… in a row. During the 1992 season, he played every game and averaged 18.7 rebounds per game. (Ahhh the good old days when load management wasn’t a thing).
Before we get into the on-court sneaker game that helped him achieve a hall-of-fame career, here is a quick snapshot at some of his finest off-court moments:
Skipping practice in the middle of the 1998 Finals to team up with Hulk Hogan and the NWO on WCW Nitro.
Being in a movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Which doesn’t rank too well on the internet.
But for those who know me well, you know that my hitting zone for movies I love is between 5 and 7 on IMDb, so this isn’t a movie I would be turning my nose up to.
Marrying himself for publicity to promote his book.
His relationship with Kim Jong-un.
His relationship with Madonna:
His marriage to Carmen Electra.
Now let’s look at his on-court sneaker game.
Nike Air Revolution (1988)
Reebok Pump Omni Zone II (1991) - These need to have a revival. Their cultural moments rival any basketball shoe not branded Jordan.
Nike Air Darwin (1994)
Nike Air Wayup (1995)
Converse Rodman React (1996)
Converse All Star Rodman (1997)
Nike Air Shake NDestrukt (1997)
Nike Air Worm (1998)
Converse D-Rod High (1998)
And there you have it. The shoes that Rodman wore on the court. Given how few athletes are given signature shoes, it’s impressive that he had that Air Worm and then was the main feature for the Air Darwin.
Which is your favourite? And what do you want to be seen with a rerelease?
