Trinity Rodman inherited famous dad’s traits, but made name for herself on soccer field

NBA fans noticed the name on the back of Trinity Rodman’s uniform shirts from the time she started playing youth soccer and usually assumed she was somehow related to the eccentric basketball legend Dennis Rodman.

That she is.

The elder Rodman, a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest rebounders in the history of the game, is her father. He wasn’t around much when Trinity and her brother, DJ, were being raised by their mother, Michelle Moyer, in Southern California. And their relationship has been strained through the years.

But Trinity, now 21, and one of the best-known and highest-paid professional soccer players in America, watched enough clips of her father’s playing days to recognize that she inherited some of the traits that made them both elite athletes.

Dennis Rodman dove for every loose ball, outjumped and outpositioned opponents and always seemed to be at the perfect angle to grab rebounds as they clanked off the rim.

His daughter Trinity, in Fort Lauderdale this week with the U.S. Women’s National Team preparing for a Saturday friendly against China, applies those same skills on the soccer field.

“Oh, 100 percent, and I think even people who don’t know him could see the similarities,” she said Wednesday. “I think the fire when we play is a big factor. I always say `hunting’ because for me, when I watched my dad play, when I watch clips, it’s the anticipation and the proactiveness of the way he used to play. Me, I am always looking to jump a defender. I’m always looking to track back and get on somebody’s blind side.

“So, I think the sneaky, smart parts of the game I got from him, and I learned from him. The competitiveness, fierceness, feistiness, that side of me, the passion is very well seen in me and my dad and we are never scared to show it.”

Rodman began playing soccer with SoCal Blues at age 10 and went on to win four national youth championships in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). She played for Corona del Mar High School as a freshman and then focused on her club career.

She never considered pursuing basketball.

“I really enjoy watching basketball; and obviously my brother plays, he just transferred to USC, so I’ve been watching and that’s been amazing,” she said. “In terms of playing, I did play for a little bit, but it was not my thing at all. I like watching, not playing.”

She followed her brother to Washington State University in 2020, but never played a game. Her freshman season was canceled due to the COVID pandemic, and she opted to turn pro.

At age 18, without any college experience, she was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NWSL College Draft by the Washington Spirit. The youngest draftee in league history, Rodman made an immediate impact. She scored seven goals, had five assists and was named NWSL Rookie of the Year, NWSL Best XI, and U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

After that breakout season, the Spirit renegotiated her contract. According to the Washington Post, she had joined the league on a three-year deal with a $42,000 a year base salary. The new contract was reportedly a four-year deal worth $1.1 million, the highest salary in the league.

Rodman is also making money away from the field. She has endorsement deals with Red Bull, Oakley, and Adidas, among others.

She has played for the U.S. national team at the Under-17, Under-20 and senior levels. In 2020, she scored nine goals to lead Team USA to the CONCACAF U-20 championship.

In January 2022, Rodman got her first invitation to senior national team camp, and she made her national team debut on February 17, 2022, in a 0–0 tie against Czech Republic. She scored her first goal on April 12, 2022, in a friendly against Uzbekistan.

Rodman was a member of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and like the rest of the team, is eager to move on after losing in the Round of 16, the earliest U.S. exit in the team’s history.

She plans to watch the four-part Netflix series on the team, titled: “Under Pressure,” although it will bring back painful memories.

“I haven’t watched the preview, but I will be watching because I think we all need to kind of see behind the scenes and see the journey that we went on,” Rodman said. “As much as it does kind of hurt, I do feel like we all need to reflect and see how much we went through together so then we can grow in the future. It’s gonna be tough though.”

Newly-hired coach Emma Hayes won’t join full-time until her Chelsea season ends in May 2024, but she flew from England to Fort Lauderdale to meet the team this week. Rodman likes what she heard so far.

“We always talk about how we’ve been the best forever and World Cup did not show that, so I think this is a perfect opportunity [for Hayes to take over],” Rodman said. “It’s perfect timing because the World Cup was such a huge learning experience for the new players, the veteran players and everybody in between. Teams are getting better. Competition is very top, and we don’t dominate every single team we play against physically, mentally, endurance wise, technically. So for us, it’s cleaning it up, fixing things, communicating and playing as a team.”

Among the most memorable games of Rodman’s career was when her father showed up at a Spirit playoff game against the North Carolina Courage in November 2021.

“This last game was an extremely emotional one,” Trinity posted on Instagram. “Yes Dennis rodman showed up to an Nwsl game, but also my dad, after YEARS surprised me at a big game in my career, I was shocked, overwhelmed, happy, sad, everything. My dad doesn’t play a big role in my life at all and most people don’t know that, we don’t see eye to eye on many things. I go months if not years without his presence or communication.

“Being in spotlights has been hard for us, him and me. We don’t have the best relationship, but at the end of the day he’s human I’m human… he’s my dad, and I’m his little girl. That will never change. I will improve and look forward everyday as I hope he does.”

Tickets for Saturday’s USA vs. China game (3 p.m., TNT, Telemundo) at DRV PNK Stadium start at $25 and are available through Ticketmaster.com