The Best Reactions to Dennis Rodman’s 48-Hour Las Vegas Bender

Evan Romano
·6 min read

From Men's Health

  • The latest episodes of ESPN's Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance, focuses on Dennis Rodman.

  • The standout moment of the episode centered on Rodman's mid-season, 48-hour trip to Las Vegas with then-girlfriend Carmen Electra.

  • Both Twitter users and NBA players had a lot to say on Twitter.

We're in the second week of ESPN's mega-hyped (and record-breaking in terms of audience) Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls documentary, The Last Dance, and last night's episodes focused on the character—no pun intended—of Dennis Rodman. While Rodman, who spent the early parts of his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs before being traded to the Bulls, was notorious for his antics on and off the court, The Last Dance really brought things to a new level. Viewers got new insight into his 48-hour Las Vegas bender in the middle of his 1997-1998 season. You read that right. And people on Twitter had much the same reaction as you did.

It was discussed frequently that Rodman simply doesn't operate like most others in the NBA, and he was a good enough player (he's universally considered one of the best rebounders in history) that Jordan, Coach Phil Jackson, and the rest of the team found ways to work with him. "We understood that he had different needs in his personal life than we did," Steve Kerr, a former Bulls teammate and current coach of the Golden State Warriors said.

Rodman gave multiple glimpses into his own psyche, too. "It's not just basketball that we have to deal with on this team," he said in The Last Dance. "I'll play the game for free, but you get paid for the bullshit." For example, when Scottie Pippen was injured, Rodman stepped up.

"Dennis was a model citizen, to the point that it was driving him insane," Jordan said. He added that Rodman needed a way to clear his mind after Pippen returned, which led to a 48-hour sanctioned trip to Las Vegas—one that Jackson and Jordan were both on board for.

Yup. In the middle of the NBA season, Rodman "went to fucking Vegas," he admitted during his Last Dance interview before breaking into laughter. Of course, Rodman didn't return in time. He ran over his allotted 48 hours, which meant Jordan went to go get him himself. And Rodman's then-girlfriend Carmen Electra—interviewed herself for the series—was there in his room with him. "We had to go get his ass out of bed," Jordan said. "And I'm not gonna say what's in his bed, or where he was, or blah blah blah." We'll never know what that "blah blah blah" entails—but man would we love to.

The episode ended with Rodman, clad in a leather jacket with Miller Lite in hand, hopping onto a motorcycle and zipping off, presumably to Sin City (with Electra).

As NBA fans know, a popular concept is called "load management." This is when players—particularly older or more injury-prone players—are given rest throughout the season during various games, or on the second night of a back-to-back game. It's a philosophy meant to keep players more healthy through the vigors of an 82-game season. Donovan Mitchell, a star for the Utah Jazz, watched The Last Dance and saw Rodman's 48-hour trip as sort of a pioneer move.

Think whatever you want about Rodman's way of life, or his mid-season vacation. As fans watching The Last Dance will continue to see, it all works out in the end: The Bulls won their third straight title in 1997-1998, completing the team's second three-peat of the '90s. Rodman himself ended up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Not too shabby, huh?

You Might Also Like