Phil Jackson oversaw the most iconic dynasty in NBA history with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. The 1995-96 Bulls coached by Jackson and led by Michael Jordan are considered the greatest team in NBA history. But in 2011, Jackson revealed to Bulls.com that Jordan told him that Dennis Rodman was the MVP of that historic season.
"The season we got Dennis, we recorded the best record in NBA history. It tells you a lot about his impact. The year (Scottie) Pippen sat out the first three months after an operation, Michael told me he felt Dennis was the MVP of that team."
The Bulls were coming off a second-round exit at the hands of the Orlando Magic and added Rodman that summer after he had a disastrous stint in San Antonio. That acquisition transformed the Bulls, as they went 72-10 and won the 1996 title, getting their revenge on the Magic by sweeping them along the way.
Jackson opened up on how important it was to have a guy like Rodman be willing to guard Shaquille O'Neal, even with the physical mismatch.
"He couldn't take those big guys like Shaq leaning on him for 48 minutes," recalled Jackson. "We'd have Luc (Longley) take some physical pressure away. But at the end, in crucial times, Dennis would play Shaq giving up 70 pounds. He was a guy who could play 48 minutes without a breath. As the game went on he got stronger. He'd be stronger at the end than at the beginning."
Rodman averaged 5.5 points, 14.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on the Bulls that season, becoming the league's rebounding champion for the fifth time. His gritty defense and frontcourt presence reinforced the Bulls' defense and made them unstoppable, especially with Jordan leading the team on offense.
Phil Jackson On Rodman's Time As A Rival On The Pistons
Rodman was a key part of the infamous 'Bad Boys Pistons' teams in the 1980s that were the biggest rivals of the Chicago Bulls and won the 1989 and 1990 NBA Championships. Given the ferocity of that rivalry, Jackson also told Bulls.com about Rodman's involvement in the feud, revealing that Rodman adopted the team's personality to further their goals.
"He was a product of their system. In Detroit, the mantra was not to back down. He threw Scottie into the seats in '91. He was not a menacing guy, but he needed to be part of something."
Even with the rivalry, Jackson couldn't help but admire Rodman's game.
"I always admired what he would do, the way he'd play (James) Worthy against the Lakers, Magic (Johnson), the variety of people on the floor (he'd defend) because of his quickness. With the Pistons, he was the secondary guy after (Joe) Dumars to come over on Michael (Jordan). He decidedly was a factor."
Rodman averaged 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds over his career, winning five championships. Three of them came with the Chicago Bulls with the other two on the Detroit Pistons. He was a two-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Defense selection, and seven-time rebounding champion.
More must-reads: