Dennis Rodman’s brutal locker room speech led to his premature LA Lakers exit

Robert Horry’s first impressions of Dennis Rodman at the LA Lakers

Following a successful stint with the Bulls, many expected similar results from Rodman on the Lakers.

However, Lakers legend Robert Horry recently revealed that Rodman wasn’t his usual self when he joined the Purple and Gold.

A part of the reason was Lakers’ struggles to find a solid head coach after firing Del Harris. Kurt Rambis took over the job in the middle of the season, but it was obvious he wasn’t a good fit in LA.

“We had just got Dennis Rodman on the Lakers, right? And Kurt Rambis took over as coach,” Horry revealed on Big Shot Bob podcast.

He added: “We in the locker room, where usually we made halftime adjustments, and Rodman didn’t say s___ to nobody, and he had been there for a month.”

Previously, Rodman had displayed a very outspoken personality. So, staying quiet for nearly a month was certainly worrying.

Dennis Rodman blasted Kurt Rambis’ coaching, leading to his LA Lakers exit

The 1998-99 season was the last time the Lakers struggled before going on a three-peat run, thanks to the arrival of Phil Jackson.

Coming back to Rodman’s time in LA, Horry revealed how the 5x NBA champion went off on coach Rambis in the locker room.

“All of a sudden, he does this, his hand go up, and everybody is like, ‘Ok, Rodman, say something.’ ‘This is the worst f______ coaching job I have seen in my life. Ain’t no f______ adjustments on the board.’

“He just goes off. We’re all, ‘Damn!’ And the next day, Kurt threw him off the team,” Horry stated.

Following that altercation, it’s no surprise that Rodman’s Lakers stint lasted only 23 games, where he averaged 2.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.