Who is Trinity Rodman? What to know about soccer star and Dennis Rodman's daughter

One of the most exciting young soccer players in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is a 21-year-old dynamo with a famous last name.

Trinity Rodman is a crucial part of a promising young wave of talent on the U.S. Women's National Team that is aiming for a record third straight World Cup title.

The daughter of NBA legend and Basketball Hall of Fame member Dennis Rodman made her World Cup debut on July 21 in Team USA's 3-0 win over Vietnam to kick off the tournament.

The breakout young star has been part of the USWNT since 2022, joining a squad led by household names like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.

Rodman already has made plenty of history as a professional player in the National Women's Soccer League, and now she hopes to make her mark on the biggest stage in women's soccer at the World Cup.

Here's everything you need to know about the rising star.

What position does she play?

Rodman is a forward, which is a star-making spot on the USWNT. It's where Rapinoe and Morgan have become global stars by scoring clutch goals in multiple World Cups.

Rodman is part of a forward group that also includes Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson and Lynn Williams. Smith, another talented young member of the team, scored two goals in her World Cup debut in the win over Vietnam.

Rodman also plays forward for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL.

“She’s an all-out competitor,” former Spirit head coach Kris Ward told ESPN. “Her ability to withstand pressure and close contact with the opponent and her desire to help her team succeed -- she’s a change-the-game player. There hasn’t been anyone like her before.”

Her goal-scoring prowess was on display in a tune-up game on July 9 against Wales before the World Cup. She became the youngest USWNT player in history to score twice in a game.

How else has she made history?

Rodman jumped straight to the pros without playing a game collegiately. She attended Washington State University in 2020, but the season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The precocious forward then decided to make the leap straight to the NWSL in 2021. She was only 18 when she was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, which at the time was the record for the youngest NWSL player ever drafted.

She scored a goal in her first game, becoming one of the youngest goal scorers in league history at the time. Rodman went on to win rookie of the year and lead the Spirit to their first NWSL championship, registering an assist on the game-winning goal.

Her reward was a historic four-year deal worth $1.1 million, which is the richest contract in NWSL history, according to The Washington Post.

“I’m not trying to say I shouldn’t have got it, because I did work very hard,” she told USA Today about the contract. “But it was hard for me to work through the fact that all these players who had put their blood, sweat and tears in for 10-plus years, who had been to World Cup and the Olympics, didn’t get it. It was so hard for me to understand. I truly was just like, ‘What? Me? It took that long?’”

What is her relationship with her father?

Rodman's relationship with her father, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, has admittedly been rocky.

She opened up about it in an Instagram post in 2021 after he surprised her by showing up at one of her games for the Spirit.

“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," she wrote. "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.”

Who is her mother, and does she have siblings?

The soccer star and her older brother, DJ Rodman, were raised by their mother, Michelle Moyer.

Moyer was Dennis Rodman's third wife, and she filed for divorce in 2004 within a year of them getting married. The divorce was not finalized until 2012. The 62-year-old also has a daughter, Alexis, who is in her mid-30s, with his first wife, Annie Bakes.

Moyer and her daughter have spoken about financial struggles while she was raising the children as a single mother in Newport Beach, California. At one point, they lived in a motel and out of a truck, Moyer told The Spokesman-Review. They also "went from house to house" for about a decade due to evictions.

“We were staying in a motel, but in that experience, I wanted the kids to think we were on vacation, so I booked a room right next to the pool,” Moyer said. “Before school, they could go swimming. They’d make waffles in the morning. At night, we’d do dollar tacos or dollar burritos and Top Ramen. It’s made them who they are today — the humility."

Trinity Rodman began playing soccer at 4 years old, while DJ Rodman followed in his father's footsteps and pursued a basketball career. He played four years at Washington State University and earned a degree in communications.

In May, he announced he is transferring to play this upcoming season for the University of Southern California. He joins a team that features another son of an NBA legend — freshman Bronny James, the son of LeBron James.

Trinity Rodman spoke to The Guardian in 2021 about her admiration for her mother.

“Having a dad like I do, no one asks about my mom because she’s obviously not an NBA star, but I just want people to know that my mom’s been my support system in everything in life and she’s my best friend and my rock,” she said. “I don’t think people know how close we are and, even though she wasn’t in the NBA, she has an extremely competitive and driven mindset, and she’s an extremely strong woman. She’s my role model.”

She is now hoping to make her last name famous for more than just basketball.

“People do know Trinity Rodman sometimes before Dennis Rodman now,” she told ESPN. "That’s a cool thing for me. I’m not trying to overcome what he accomplished, I just want to build my own story, and I think I’m doing a really good job.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com