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151-655: During the year-long hiatus that the American Basketball Association had in the 2002–03 season, one of the teams the league approved of would be the Long Beach Jam . In the team's inaugural season, the Jam managed to procure NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman , fellow veteran Corey Gaines , up-and-coming player Matt Barnes , and Japanese point guard Yuta Tabuse on their squad. They also got former NBA Finals winning head coach Paul Westhead during

302-680: A 29-board outburst against the Atlanta Hawks and 15 offensive boards (along with ten defensive) versus the Los Angeles Clippers . Led by the aging Jordan and Rodman (respectively 35 and 37 years old), the Bulls reached the 1998 NBA Finals , again versus the Jazz. After playing strong defense on Malone in the first three games, he caused major consternation when he left his team prior to Game Four to go wrestling with Hulk Hogan . He

453-570: A Conference finals series since the 1993 season. The Suns lost games five and six by a combined 25 points and were eliminated from the series on June 3. Under coach D'Antoni, the Suns popularized the fast break offense known as 7 seconds or less , which was later published in a book written by Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum . Though criticized for a supposed lack of defense, the Suns specialized an efficient offense designed to quickly get off shots that made regrouping on defense difficult for

604-609: A Pacific Division title in 1995, the Suns were eliminated in consecutive Western Conference Semifinal rounds by the Houston Rockets , both series going a full seven games. Manning was rarely at full strength with the Suns, injuring his ACL in 1995 just before the All-Star break. In both years, the Suns led the series by two games at one point (2–0 in 1994, 3–1 in 1995) only to see the Rockets come back to win each series. At

755-462: A championship. 11 Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two — Barkley and Nash — won NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) while playing for the team. Additionally, their Gowdy Award Winning radio announcer Al McCoy is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history. The franchise began play in 1968 as an expansion team . Though their early years were mired in mediocrity, their fortunes changed in

906-469: A daughter they named Alexis. Rodman remained a bench player during the 1988–89 season , averaging 9.0 points and 9.4 rebounds in 27 minutes, yet providing such effective defense that he was voted into the All-Defensive Team, the first of eight times in his career. He also began seeing more playing time after Adrian Dantley was traded at midseason to Dallas for Mark Aguirre . In that season,

1057-465: A father". He would not meet his father again until 2012. Rodman and his two sisters, Debra and Kim, grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas , at the time one of the most impoverished areas of the city. Rodman's mother gave him the nickname "The Worm" for how he wiggles while playing pinball . Rodman was so attached to his mother that he refused to move when she sent him to a nursery when he

1208-544: A former professional basketball player, Rodman has appeared in professional wrestling . He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan in the main event of two Bash at the Beach pay-per-views. In professional wrestling, Rodman was the first-ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour , and had starring roles in

1359-597: A game six loss, the Suns won the series in the seventh game on their home court at US Airways Center , winning by a margin of 20 with an NBA record fifteen 3-point FGs on May 22, 2006. They went on to play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals as underdogs. The Suns took game one in Dallas by a single point and their May 30 victory in game four marked the most wins for the franchise in

1510-460: A group that bought the team from its owners for $ 44 million at the start of the 1987–88 season, a record at that time. With a drug scandal and the loss of promising young center Nick Vanos , who was killed in the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 , the franchise was in turmoil both on and off the court. The Suns' luck began to turn around in 1988 with the acquisition of Kevin Johnson from

1661-517: A highly publicized affair with Madonna . The only player to whom Rodman related was reserve center Jack Haley , who earned his trust by not being shocked after a visit to a gay bar . However, despite a 55-win season, Rodman and the Spurs did not survive the first round of the 1994 playoffs and bowed out against the Utah Jazz in four games. In the following 1994–95 season , Rodman clashed with

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1812-604: A hustler, not when he kicked the cameraman." Rodman took up his hobby of professional wrestling seriously and appeared on the edition of March 10 of Monday Nitro with his friend Hollywood Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). At the March 1997 Uncensored event, he appeared as a member of the nWo . His first match was at the July 1997 Bash at the Beach event, where he teamed with Hogan in

1963-454: A loaded rifle in his truck, debating whether or not he wanted to continue living. Eventually he fell asleep in the truck, where he was found by police who had been called to perform a welfare check on Rodman by a friend. It was in that moment that he had an epiphany : "I decided that instead [of killing myself] I was gonna kill the impostor that was leading Dennis Rodman to a place he didn't want to go ... So I just said, 'I'm going to live my life

2114-747: A loss to Lex Luger and The Giant . At the August 1997 Road Wild event, Rodman appeared as the Impostor Sting hitting Luger with a baseball bat to help Hogan win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as

2265-781: A member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . They are the only team in their division not to be based in California . The Suns play their home games at the Footprint Center . The Suns are one of three major league sports teams based in the Phoenix area, but are the only one to bill themselves as representing the city (the Cardinals and Diamondbacks both bill themselves as representing

2416-552: A mere $ 200. In the 1968 NBA expansion draft , notable Suns' pickups were future Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale . Jerry Colangelo , then a player scout, came over from the Chicago Bulls , a franchise formed two years earlier , as the Suns' first general manager at the age of 28, along with Johnny "Red" Kerr as head coach. Unlike the first-year success that Colangelo and Kerr had in Chicago, in which

2567-471: A more honest life than most other people: I just took the chance to be my own man ... I just said: "If you don't like it, kiss my ass." ... Most people around the country, or around the world, are basically working people who want to be free, who want to be themselves. They look at me and see someone trying to do that ... I'm the guy who's showing people, hey, it's all right to be different. And I think they feel: "Let's go and see this guy entertain us." Before

2718-453: A new franchise and affiliation before the 2016–17 season, although it did not come to fruition. On May 2, it was announced that former Arizona Sundogs and current Arizona Rattlers president, Chris Presson, would become the new team president for the Suns. The new team logo and jerseys for Northern Arizona was officially unveiled on May 11 and the front office personnel and coaching staff were announced on August 16. During their first season as

2869-717: A playoff berth, the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals after acquiring Chris Paul , who formed a quartet with their young core of Devin Booker , Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges . In 2023, the Suns acquired 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal . The Suns own the NBA's fifth-best all-time winning percentage , and have the second highest winning percentage of any team to have never won an NBA championship . Eleven Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two — Barkley and Nash — won NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) while playing for

3020-477: A public enterprise, the investor Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, and Richard L. Bloch . Other owners with a minority stake consisted of entertainers, such as Andy Williams , Bobbie Gentry and Ed Ames . There were many critics, including then-NBA commissioner J. Walter Kennedy , who said that Phoenix was "too hot," "too small," and "too far away" to be considered a successful NBA market. This

3171-434: A quartet with their young core of Devin Booker , Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges . In 2023, the Suns acquired 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal . The Suns own the NBA's fifth-best all-time winning percentage , have the second highest winning percentage of any team to have never won an NBA championship , and have the most NBA Finals appearances (three) without

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3322-595: A racist because, according to him, his own girlfriend Anicka "Annie" Bakes was white. In the following 1987–88 season , Rodman steadily improved his stats, averaging 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds and starting in 32 of 82 regular season games. The Pistons fought their way into the 1988 NBA Finals , and took a 3–2 lead, but lost in seven games against the Los Angeles Lakers . In Game Six, the Pistons were down by one point with eight seconds to go; Dumars missed

3473-463: A shot, and Rodman just fell short of an offensive rebound and a putback that could have won the title. In Game Seven, L.A. led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Rodman's defense helped cut down the lead to six with 3:52 minutes to go and to two with one minute to go. But then, he fouled Magic Johnson , who hit a free throw, missed an ill-advised shot with 39 seconds to go, and the Pistons never recovered. In that year, he and his girlfriend Annie had

3624-399: A sign-and-trade deal to the Atlanta Hawks , in which the Suns got Boris Diaw and two future first-round picks. Other acquisitions included Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas . Despite the turnover in players, the Suns again won the Pacific Division , going 54–28 and capturing the second seed in the Western Conference. Nash was awarded a second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award , becoming

3775-574: A three-pointer in the closing seconds. In the Western Conference finals, the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs , who won the series 4–1, ending Phoenix's season, partly due to Joe Johnson missing the first two games of the series. Johnson went on to start the remaining games where he averaged 40 minutes per game and 18.3 points per game. The Suns lost the first two at home, as well as the following game in San Antonio to fall behind 3–0 in

3926-666: A timeout. Despite this, the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals against their division rivals, the Houston Rockets. The Rockets had only recorded 47 wins and had to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win their previous series against the Phoenix Suns, but the team was the defending NBA champion, and it was thought that Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon would have a hard time asserting himself versus Robinson and Rodman, who had both been voted into

4077-711: A triple-overtime game in game three, making this and their previous game five in the 1976 series the only triple-overtime games in the history of the NBA Finals. Approximately 300,000 fans braved the 105° heat to celebrate the memorable season in the downtown streets of Phoenix after the Finals had ended. The Suns continued to be successful in the regular season, going 178–68 during the 1992–93 , 1993–94 , and 1994–95 seasons. They continued to bolster their roster by adding players such as A.C. Green , Danny Manning , Wesley Person , Wayman Tisdale , and Elliot Perry . Despite

4228-432: The 1993–94 season , Rodman joined a Spurs team that was built around perennial All-Star center David Robinson , with a supporting cast of forwards Dale Ellis , Willie Anderson and guard Vinny Del Negro . On the hardwood, Rodman now was played as a power forward and won his third straight rebounding title, averaging 17.3 boards per game, along with another All-Defensive Team call-up. Living up to his promise of killing

4379-408: The 1995–96 season , Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls for center Will Perdue to fill a void at power forward left by Horace Grant , who had left the team before the 1994–95 season. Rodman could not wear No. 10 jersey because the Bulls had retired it for Bob Love , and the NBA denied him the reversion 01, Rodman instead picked the number 91, whose digits add up to 10. Although the trade for

4530-555: The 1999–2000 season , the then-38-year-old power forward Rodman was signed by the Dallas Mavericks , returning Rodman to his hometown. Dallas had won 10 of 13 before his arrival but went just 4–9 until he was waived by the Mavericks. He played 12 games, received six technical fouls, was ejected twice, and served a one-game suspension. While averaging 14.3 rebounds per game, above his career average of 13.1, Rodman alienated

4681-565: The Cleveland Cavaliers , along with Mark West and Tyrone Corbin , for All-Star power forward Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. This was the beginning of a franchise-record 13 consecutive playoff appearances. All-Star Tom Chambers came over from the Seattle SuperSonics (the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history), 1986 second-round draft pick Jeff Hornacek continued to develop, and "Thunder" Dan Majerle

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4832-527: The Dallas Mavericks after being traded from Phoenix six years earlier), and returned into playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion , and Amar'e Stoudemire , and under head coach Mike D'Antoni , the Suns became renowned worldwide for their quick, dynamic offense, which led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, and were forced into another rebuild. After ten consecutive seasons without

4983-487: The Dignity Health Event Center seated only 500, the team did not sell individual general admission tickets and were sold to season ticket holders only. On May 29, 2015, it was announced that Nate Bjorkgren would leave the Jam to take part in the Suns' organization as a leading player development and assistant coach. Three months later, former NBA coach Chris Jent would be the newest head coach for

5134-471: The Lady Techsters . While attending South Oak Cliff High School , Rodman was a gym class student of future Texas A&M basketball coach Gary Blair . Blair coached Rodman's sisters Debra and Kim, winning three state championships. However, Rodman was not considered an athletic standout. According to Rodman, he was "unable to hit a layup " and was listed in the high school basketball teams but

5285-537: The Long Beach Jam of the newly formed American Basketball Association during the 2003–04 season, with hopes of being called up to the NBA midseason. While he did not get that wish that season, he did help the Jam win the ABA championship in their inaugural season. Rodman also played in Mexico, with Fuerza Regia in 2004. In the following 2004–05 season, Rodman signed with the ABA's Orange County Crush Rodman played

5436-451: The MVP award that 1992–93 season . In addition to Barkley, the Suns added key players to their roster, including Danny Ainge and draftees Arkansas center Oliver Miller and forward Richard Dumas (who was actually drafted in 1991 but was suspended for his rookie year for violating the NBA drug policy). Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal , a former Suns assistant and player with

5587-526: The MVP award that season. Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were named All-Stars and first-year coach Mike D'Antoni was named NBA Coach of the Year . In the 2005 NBA playoffs , Phoenix was the first seed in the Western Conference. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies , 4–0, and defeated the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the second round, 4–2, as Nash forced game six into overtime with

5738-615: The Philippine national basketball team 110–102 at the Araneta Coliseum , where he scored three points and recorded 16 rebounds. On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Rodman would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . From the beginning of his career, Rodman was known for his defensive hustle, which was later accompanied by his rebounding prowess. In Detroit, he

5889-634: The Philippines . Rodman has many brothers and sisters: according to his father, he has either 26 or 28 siblings on his father's side. However, Rodman has stated that he is the oldest of a total of 47 children. After his father left, Shirley took many odd jobs to support the family, up to four at the same time. In his 1996 biography Bad As I Wanna Be , he expresses his feelings for his father: "I haven't seen my father in more than 30 years, so what's there to miss ... I just look at it like this: Some man brought me into this world. That doesn't mean I have

6040-670: The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament , a pre-draft camp for NBA hopefuls, where he won Most Valuable Player honors and caught the attention of the Detroit Pistons . During college, Rodman worked at a summer youth basketball camp, where he befriended camper Byrne Rich who was 13 years old at the time, who was shy and withdrawn due to a hunting accident in which he mistakenly shot and killed his best friend. The two became almost inseparable. Rich invited Rodman to his rural Oklahoma home; at first, Rodman

6191-404: The guard positions, Adrian Dantley and Sidney Green at forward, and center Bill Laimbeer . Bench players who played more than 15 minutes per game were sixth man Vinnie Johnson and the backup forwards Rick Mahorn and John Salley . Rodman fit well into this ensemble, providing 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and some tough defense in 15.0 minutes of playing time per game. Winning 52 games,

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6342-417: The "shy imposter" and "being himself" instead, Rodman began to show first signs of unconventional behavior: before the first game, he shaved his hair and dyed it blonde, which was followed up by stints with red, purple, blue hair and a look inspired from the film Demolition Man . During the season, he headbutted Stacey King and John Stockton , refused to leave the hardwood once after being ejected, and had

6493-468: The 12 attempts. This was Dallas coach Don Nelson 's early version of what would later develop into the famous " Hack-a-Shaq " method that would be implemented against Shaquille O'Neal , Dwight Howard , and other poor free throw shooters. In 14 NBA seasons, Rodman played in 911 games, scored 6,683 points, and grabbed 11,954 rebounds, translating to 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game in only 31.7 minutes played per game. NBA.com lauds Rodman as "arguably

6644-470: The 1970s after partnering Dick Van Arsdale and Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal . The team reached the 1976 NBA Finals , in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture a championship, the Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988. Under Johnson, and after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley , and combined with

6795-611: The 1976 Suns in the NBA Finals, the Suns won 62 games in 1992–93 , setting a franchise record. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the eighth-seeded Lakers, coming back from a 0–2 deficit in the five-game series. The Suns then eliminated the Spurs and SuperSonics, advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. They eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls, led by eventual Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen . The series also included

6946-449: The 1990s, and reached the 1993 NBA Finals . However, the team would again fail to win a championship, and entered into another period of mediocrity until the early 2000s. In 2004, the Suns signed free agent Steve Nash (who had blossomed for the Dallas Mavericks after being traded from Phoenix six years earlier), and returned into playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion , and Amar'e Stoudemire , and under head coach Mike D'Antoni ,

7097-542: The 2002–03 season, during which the Suns posted a record of 44–38 and returned to the playoffs. Marbury had a successful individual season, making the All-NBA Third Team and being selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns were eliminated in the first round once again by the San Antonio Spurs; a six-game series with the eventual NBA champions. In the 2003–04 season , the Suns finished out of

7248-426: The 2022–23 season, having called all three NBA Finals appearances for the franchise (in 1976 , 1993 , and 2021 ). Colangelo called Al McCoy "the greatest salesman for the game of basketball in our entire state" and said that "he had as much to do with the success of the Suns as any player, coach or manager". The 1975–76 season proved to be a pivotal year for the Suns as they made several key moves, including

7399-547: The 800-rebound limit for listing players and won his fourth straight rebounding title by averaging 16.8 boards per game and made the All-NBA Team. The Spurs won 62 games, good enough for the league's best record. However, things fell apart in the playoffs . During the second round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rodman was suspended for insubordination for sitting on the floor with his shoes off during

7550-569: The All-Star Game in the previous two seasons (Chambers, Johnson, Hornacek, and Majerle), the Suns swept the San Antonio Spurs in three games in the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs . The Suns then were defeated in five games to the Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals. The series was punctuated by a game four in which the Suns lost in double overtime 153–151 (the highest-scoring game in NBA playoff history to date). That game

7701-701: The Bears. In spring 2006, he played two exhibition games in the Philippines along with NBA ex-stars Darryl Dawkins , Kevin Willis , Calvin Murphy , Otis Birdsong and Alex English . On April 27, they defeated a team of former Philippine Basketball Association stars in Mandaue City , Cebu and Rodman scored five points and grabbed 18 rebounds. On May 1, 2006, Rodman's team played their second game and lost to

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7852-497: The Bulls again, and in the 1990 NBA Finals , Detroit met the Portland Trail Blazers . Rodman suffered from an injured ankle and was often replaced by Mark Aguirre, but even without his defensive hustle, Detroit beat Portland in five games and claimed their second title. During the 1990–91 season , Rodman finally established himself as the starting small forward of the Pistons. He played such strong defense that

8003-520: The Bulls finished with a first-year expansion record of 33 wins and a playoff berth (plus a Coach of the Year award for Kerr), Phoenix finished its first year at 16–66, and finished 25 games out of the final playoff spot. Both Goodrich and Van Arsdale were selected to the All-Star Game in their first season with the Suns. Goodrich returned to his former team, the Lakers, after two seasons with

8154-414: The Bulls on January 21, 1999, before the start of the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season . With his sister acting as his agent at the time, Rodman joined the Los Angeles Lakers , for a pro-rated salary for the remainder of the 1998–1999 season. With the Lakers he played in only 23 games, in which he started in 11 of them and averaged 2 points and 11 rebounds per game and was released in the offseason. In

8305-401: The Bulls won their third title in a row and Rodman his fifth ring. After the 1997–98 season , the Bulls started a massive rebuilding phase, largely at the behest of general manager Jerry Krause . Head coach Phil Jackson and several members of the team left via free agency or retirement, including Michael Jordan , Scottie Pippen , Steve Kerr , and Jud Buechler . Rodman was released by

8456-548: The Celtics closed out Game Seven, Johnson went back to Rodman in the last moments of the game and mimicked his taunting gesture. After the loss, Rodman made headlines by saying Celtics star Larry Bird was overrated because he was white. "Larry Bird is overrated in a lot of areas....Why does he get so much publicity? Because he's white. You never hear about a black player being the greatest". Although teammate Thomas supported him, he endured harsh criticism, but avoided being called

8607-749: The Coliseum, defeating Phoenix in game six, 87–80. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Suns enjoyed several successful seasons including the 1981 Pacific Division title, making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons including an appearance at the 1984 Western Conference finals. Problems arose on and off the court in the mid-1980s. In 1987, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, three of whom were active Suns' players James Edwards , Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick . These indictments were partially based on testimony from star player Walter Davis , who

8758-825: The Finals, where they competed against the winner of the Kansas City Knights (the previous champions of the ABA) and the Juárez Gallos . In the championship round, the Jam barely escaped against the Knights to win the ABA Championship with a final score of 126–123. In their second and final season under the Long Beach name, the Jam began their season under a pedestrian 8–6 record with another NBA Hall of Famer, this time Nate "Tiny" Archibald , leading

8909-592: The Jam. On April 12, 2016, the Phoenix Suns announced that the organization had officially purchased the Jam and were relocating the franchise to the town of Prescott Valley, Arizona , for the 2016–17 season and became the Northern Arizona Suns. In response, the previous owners of the Jam franchise, Stan Ellis and David Higdon, announced that they have been working with the D-League in securing

9060-491: The NAIA in rebounding twice (1985, 1986). In three seasons there (1983–1986), he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds, and registered a .637 field goal percentage. In 1986 he led his team to the NAIA semifinals where he scored 46 points in a single game, while grabbing a tournament-tying record 32 rebounds, as they finished the season with the highest ranking in school history, at No. 3 in the nation. This helped get him invited to

9211-501: The NBA All-Defensive Teams. The Spurs, however, were never able to stop Olajuwon as he averaged 35.3 points per game in the series. Rodman was particularly critical of Spurs coach Bob Hill's play calling, saying that he coached the playoffs "like we were playing Minnesota in the middle of December" and that his idea that Rodman should assist Robinson, who he accused of freezing up in big moments, in defending Olajuwon

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9362-578: The NBA Finals record of Elvin Hayes . Rodman garnered much publicity for his public antics. In 1996, Rodman wore a wedding dress to promote his autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be , claiming that he was bisexual and that he was marrying himself. In the 1996–97 season , Rodman won his sixth rebounding title in a row with 16.7 boards per game, along with 5.7 points per game, but failed to rank another All-Defensive Team call-up. However, he made more headlines for his notorious behavior. On January 15, 1997, he

9513-447: The NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman's No. 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. In October 2021, Rodman was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all-time by being named to the  NBA 75th Anniversary Team . Rodman experienced an unhappy childhood and

9664-550: The NBA said he "could shut down any opposing player, from point guard to center". After coming off the bench for most of his earlier years, he started in 77 of the 82 regular-season games, averaged 8.2 points and 12.5 rebounds, and won his second Defensive Player of the Year Award. In the 1991 playoffs , the Pistons were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls went on to win

9815-464: The Northern Arizona Suns, the team started out the season strong, entering with a 10–1 record. However, the Suns would enter a major losing streak after having Tyler Ulis and Alan Williams briefly play for them via assignment, and would ultimately not recover from it afterward. In the 2017 offseason, the D-League rebranded as the NBA G League . On October 20, 2017, the Suns had assistant general manager Louis Lehman take over general manager duties for

9966-402: The Northern Arizona Suns, while previous general manager Bubba Barrage remained in Phoenix as director of player personnel. Three days later, head coach Tyrone Ellis became an assistant coach for Phoenix alongside Northern Arizona assistants Bret Burchard and Brandon Rosenthal, leaving assistant coach Tyler Gatlin as the interim head coach during the G League preseason. Cody Toppert was named

10117-429: The Pistons comfortably entered the 1987 playoffs . They swept the Washington Bullets and soundly beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games but bowed out in seven matches against the archrival Boston Celtics in what was called one of the physically and mentally toughest series ever. Rodman feuded with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson and taunted Johnson in the closing seconds when he waved his right hand over his own head. As

10268-457: The Pistons finally vanquished their playoffs bane by sweeping the Boston Celtics, then winning in six games versus the Chicago Bulls —including scoring champion Michael Jordan —and easily defeating the Lakers 4–0 in the 1989 NBA Finals . Rodman was hampered by back spasms but dominated the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3 and providing tough interior defense. In the 1989–90 season , Detroit lost perennial defensive forward Rick Mahorn, who

10419-519: The Riches as his "surrogate family" that helped him through college, as of 2013 he had stopped communicating with the Rich family after Byrne's mother allegedly referred to Rodman as a "nigger". Rodman made himself eligible for the 1986 NBA draft . He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as the third pick in the second round (27th overall), joining the rugged team of coach Chuck Daly that was called "Bad Boys" for their hard-nosed approach to basketball. The squad featured Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars at

10570-399: The Snowbears folded soon afterwards, while Bellevue lost the championship match to the Arkansas RimRockers . After the end of that season, the Jam withdrew from the 2005–06 ABA season to move to the NBA Development League the following season afterward, with the intent to also move to Bakersfield around that same period of time. After their first season in Bakersfield ended in 2007, there

10721-399: The Spurs and the Bulls, he had a historical outburst in the 1996 NBA Finals : he twice snared 11 offensive rebounds, equalling an all-time NBA record. In addition, he had a career-high 34-rebound game on March 4, 1992. Rodman's rebounding prowess with Detroit and San Antonio was also aided by his decreased attention to defensive positioning and helping teammates on defense. Daly said Rodman

10872-459: The Spurs front office. He was suspended for the first three games, took a leave of absence on November 11, and was suspended again on December 7. He finally returned on December 10 after missing 19 games. After joining the team, he suffered a shoulder separation in a motorcycle accident, limiting his season to 49 games. Normally, he would not have qualified for any season records for missing so many games, but by grabbing 823 rebounds, he just surpassed

11023-421: The Suns became renowned worldwide for their quick, dynamic offense, which led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, and were forced into another rebuild. After ten consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals after acquiring Chris Paul , who formed

11174-545: The Suns used their 15th pick for Santa Clara guard Steve Nash . During his first two seasons in the NBA, he played a supporting role behind star point guards Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson . After the Barkley trade, the Suns began the 1996–97 season 0–13, a franchise record for the worst start. During the 13-game losing streak, Fitzsimmons stepped down as the coach and was replaced by former player Danny Ainge. After an on-the-court altercation between Ainge and Horry, Horry

11325-503: The Suns went on to win three straight games. With 7:33 left in the fifth game, Suns guard Raja Bell grabbed Bryant around the neck and threw him down as the Lakers' star drove to the basket. Bell earned a technical foul, his second of the game, and an automatic ejection. The Suns took game six in overtime, their first overtime win all season, despite 50 points from Bryant and Bell out serving a one-game suspension with last-second help from mid-season acquisition Tim Thomas . On their home court,

11476-436: The Suns won game seven 121–90, eliminating the Lakers for the first time since 1993. The Suns are 1 of 9 teams in NBA history to win a playoff series after being behind 3–1. In the second round, the Suns faced the Los Angeles Clippers . The series was played closely, with both teams trading games on each other's courts. The series was 2–2 and the Suns were behind in game five before coming back and won in double overtime. After

11627-408: The Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988. Under Johnson, and after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley , and combined with the output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle , the Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout

11778-403: The Suns' return to the NBA's elite, finishing with the best record at 62–20, and tying a franchise record set by the 1992–93 team. They set a team record for greatest one-season improvement at 33 games. During the off-season, the Suns signed unrestricted free agent All-Star point guard Steve Nash from Dallas, who had formerly played for the Suns at the beginning of his career. Nash went on to win

11929-488: The Suns, but Van Arsdale spent the rest of his playing days as a Sun and a one-time head coach for Phoenix. The Suns' last-place finish that season led to a coin flip for the number-one overall pick for the 1969 NBA draft with the expansion-mate Bucks. Milwaukee won the flip, and the rights to draft UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), while Phoenix settled on drafting center Neal Walk from Florida . The 1969–70 season posted better results for

12080-410: The Suns, finishing 39–43, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The next two seasons ( 1970–71 and 1971–72 ), the Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, but did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, and did not reach the playoffs again until 1976. The major draw for the franchise in this era was the dramatic play of Connie Hawkins. This era was also marked by

12231-521: The United Center, the power forward secured 19 rebounds and again 11 offensive boards, scored five points in a decisive 12–2 Bulls run, unnerved opposing power forward Shawn Kemp and caused Seattle coach George Karl to say: "As you evaluate the series, Dennis Rodman won two basketball games. We controlled Dennis Rodman for four games. But Game 2 and tonight, he was the reason they were successful." His two games with 11 offensive rebounds each tied

12382-536: The Worm ", he played for the Detroit Pistons , San Antonio Spurs , Chicago Bulls , Los Angeles Lakers , and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward . He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He also led

12533-615: The Year twice (1990–1991) and making seven NBA All-Defensive First Teams (1989–1993, 1995–1996) and NBA All-Defensive Second Teams (1994). He additionally made two All-NBA Third Teams (1992, 1995), two NBA All-Star Teams (1990, 1992) and won seven straight rebounding crowns (1992–1998) and finally led the league once in field goal percentage (1989). Rodman was recognized as the prototype bizarre player, stunning basketball fans with his artificial hair colors, numerous tattoos and body piercings, multiple verbal and physical assaults on officials, frequent ejections, and his tumultuous private life. He

12684-539: The action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). He appeared in several reality TV series and was the winner of the $ 222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole . Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey , the son of Shirley and Philander Rodman, Jr., an Air Force enlisted member, who later fought in the Vietnam War . When he was young, his father left his family, eventually settling in

12835-435: The already 34-year-old and volatile Rodman was considered a gamble at that time, the power forward quickly adapted to his new environment, helped by the fact that his best friend Jack Haley was also traded to the Bulls. Under coach Phil Jackson , he averaged 5.5 points and 14.9 rebounds per game, winning yet another rebounding title, and was part of the great Bulls team that won 72 of 82 regular season games, an NBA record at

12986-530: The arrival of longtime Suns play-by-play and Naismith Hall of Fame announcer Al McCoy , hired by Jerry Colangelo before the start of the 1972–73 NBA season . Soon locally renowned as "the Voice of the Suns", his broadcasts were simulcast on both television and radio from 1972 until 2003 when he became exclusive to the Suns Radio Network. He was still broadcasting Suns home games on radio as of

13137-402: The ball to half-court, and once the Suns had possession, Garfield Heard made a buzzer-beating turnaround jump shot to force a third overtime. The Suns' hard-fought battle was short-lived, as Boston's reserve player Glenn McDonald scored six of his eight points in the third overtime to lead the Celtics to a 128–126 win. Boston eventually won the series in six games, clinching the championship at

13288-480: The best rebounding forward in NBA history and one of the most recognized athletes in the world" but adds "enigmatic and individualistic, Rodman has caught the public eye for his ever-changing hair color, tattoos and, unorthodox lifestyle". On the hardwood, he was recognized as one of the most successful defensive players ever, winning the NBA championship five times in six NBA Finals appearances (1989, 1990, 1996–1998; only loss 1988), being crowned NBA Defensive Player of

13439-434: The best start in team history), then went 4–18 during a stretch where the team sustained several injuries (including Dick Van Arsdale breaking his right arm in a February game). The Suns then went 24–13 in the final 37 games to finish 42–40, clinching their first playoff spot since 1970. The Suns faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, winning the series four games to two, and beat

13590-676: The better part of 20 years (a Phoenix Roadrunners team played in the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977) until the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League relocated from St. Louis in 1988. The Suns played their first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , called the "Madhouse on McDowell", located slightly northwest of downtown Phoenix. The franchise was formed by an ownership group led by Karl Eller , owner of

13741-527: The championship. In the 1991–92 season , Rodman made a remarkable leap in his rebounding. He collected an astounding 18.7 per game, winning his first of seven consecutive rebounding crowns, along with scoring 9.8 points per game, and making his first All-NBA Team. His 1,530 season rebounds (the most since Wilt Chamberlain 's 1,572 in the 1971–1972 season ) have not since been surpassed. ( Kevin Willis , who grabbed 1,258 boards that same season, came closest. Willis lamented that Rodman had an advantage in winning

13892-434: The court. As the Suns entered the 2000 playoffs, they beat the higher-seeded San Antonio Spurs 3–1 in the best-of-five series. The Spurs were without their best player Tim Duncan throughout the whole series. However, even with the return of Kidd in the next round, the Suns fell to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a 4–1 series. The Suns continued to make the playoffs until the 2001–02 season when they fell short for

14043-434: The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals, four games to three, to advance to their first NBA Finals. The Suns faced an experienced Celtics team, led by eventual Hall of Famers Dave Cowens , John Havlicek and Jo Jo White . Game five of the 1976 NBA Finals took place at Boston Garden , where the Suns came back from a 22-point first-half deficit to force overtime. Havlicek made what

14194-492: The end of the 1994–95 season , Phoenix general manager Bryan Colangelo , the son of Jerry, initiated an eventually costly trade, sending the All-Star Majerle and a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John "Hot Rod" Williams . Majerle was a fan favorite in Phoenix and in the Suns' locker room. The trade was made to address the Suns' need of a shot-blocking center but Majerle's presence

14345-532: The first time in 14 years. That season marked the trade of Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury . With the resultant high draft pick, the Suns were able to draft Amar'e Stoudemire . The 2002–03 campaign saw the emergence of Stoudemire, a graduate of Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, Florida) . He became the first high school-drafted player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year for

14496-580: The following season with the ABA's Tijuana Dragons . In November 2005, he played one match for Torpan Pojat of Finland's basketball league, Korisliiga . The return to the NBA never materialized, but on January 26, 2006, it was announced that Rodman had signed a one-game "experiment" deal for the UK basketball team Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League to play Guildford Heat on January 28 and went on to play three games for

14647-615: The franchise to Detroit for the 2021–22 season to play at Wayne State Fieldhouse . It was also announced that the team's affiliation with the Grand Rapids Drive would end upon the completion of the 2020–21 season. On October 30, the team name was announced as the Motor City Cruise. On March 17, 2021, the Cruise announced the hiring of Rob Murphy as president and general manager. Pistons' assistant coach DJ Bakker

14798-434: The franchise with his erratic behavior and did not provide leadership to a team trying to qualify for their first playoffs in 10 years. Dallas guard Steve Nash commented that Rodman "never wanted to be [a Maverick]" and therefore was unmotivated. After his NBA career, Rodman took a long break from basketball and concentrated on his film career and on wrestling. After a longer hiatus, Rodman returned to play basketball for

14949-439: The head coach just prior to the start of the season. The team finished the season with a 23–27 record and missed the playoffs. At the end of the season, head coach Toppert was promoted to an assistant coaching position in Phoenix. He would be replaced by former Northern Arizona Suns assistant and Phoenix Suns' assistant coach Bret Burchard . Following the pandemic-shorted 2019–20 season , the Phoenix Suns originally announced that

15100-521: The head coach of Cooke County College (now North Central Texas College ) in Gainesville, Texas . In his single semester there, he averaged 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds, before flunking out due to poor academic performance. After his short stint in Gainesville, he transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University , an NAIA school. There, Rodman was a three-time NAIA All-American and led

15251-406: The last 43 regular-season games, he established himself as the best defensive player in the game, lauded by the NBA "for his defense and rebounding skills, which were unparalleled in the league". Rodman's feats drew him his first big individual accolade: the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award . He also had a .595 field goal percentage, best in the league. In the 1990 playoffs , the Pistons beat

15402-407: The off-season prior to the 2000 NBA season, the Suns traded for perennial All-Star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway , creating the tandem of Kidd and Hardaway called "Backcourt 2000". However, the combination of Hardaway and Kidd was never fully realized as Hardaway missed several games during the middle of the 1999–2000 season and Kidd broke his ankle going into the playoffs just as Hardaway returned to

15553-658: The off-season trade of former All-Star guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Paul Westphal , a member of Boston's 1974 championship team . They also drafted center and eventual fan favorite Alvan Adams from the University of Oklahoma and guard Ricky Sobers of UNLV . The Suns and Buffalo Braves made a midseason trade, with Phoenix sending forward/center John Shumate to Buffalo in exchange for forward Garfield Heard . Phoenix had an inconsistent regular season, starting out at 14–9 (then

15704-459: The opening round of the playoffs. This set up a rematch of the 2005 Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The series saw the Spurs defeat the Suns in six games, in what many called "the real finals" of the 2006–07 season. The Spurs went on to win the championship that year. On June 6, former TNT TV analyst and NBA three-point specialist, Steve Kerr , was appointed Suns' general manager and president of basketball operations. Kerr

15855-484: The opposing team. The Suns entered the 2006–07 season aiming to win the first championship in franchise history. From November 20 to December 22, the Suns posted a 15-game win streak, followed almost immediately with a 17-game win streak from December 29 to January 28. On March 14, the 49–14 Suns met the 52–10 Dallas Mavericks in a match-up where both teams were fighting for the top seed in the Western conference and Nash

16006-442: The output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle , the Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout the 1990s, and reached the 1993 NBA Finals . However, the team would again fail to win a championship, and entered into another period of mediocrity until the early part of the 2000s. In 2004, the Suns signed free agent Steve Nash (who had blossomed for

16157-524: The playoffs after starting the season 0–10 or worse, and one of the few to make the playoffs after experiencing a 10-plus-game losing streak during the regular season. With Kidd starting at point guard, Nash was traded to the Mavericks in June 1998 in exchange for Martin Müürsepp , Bubba Wells , the draft rights to Pat Garrity , and a future first-round draft pick (later used to select Shawn Marion ). In

16308-598: The playoffs with a 29–53 record. The Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade sending Marbury and Hardaway to the New York Knicks for Antonio McDyess and a future first round pick that was later dealt to Denver. The beginning of 2004 saw the departure of the face of Suns management since the team's inception, when Jerry Colangelo announced that the Phoenix Suns were to be sold to an investment group headed by San Diego–based business executive and Tucson native Robert Sarver for $ 401 million. The 2004–05 season marked

16459-461: The rebounding title with his lack of offensive responsibilities. ) In a March 1992 game, Rodman grabbed a career-high 34 rebounds. However, the aging Pistons were eliminated by the up-and-coming New York Knicks in the first round of the 1992 playoffs . Rodman experienced a tough loss when coach Chuck Daly, whom he had admired as a surrogate father, resigned in May; Rodman skipped the preseason camp and

16610-400: The season and replaced by Fitzsimmons, his third stint as head coach. The office unrest led to turmoil in Barkley's relationship with Jerry Colangelo, who both spurned each other publicly. This led to Barkley being traded to Houston for Sam Cassell , Robert Horry , Mark Bryant , and Chucky Brown . Three of the four players were not with the franchise one year later. In the 1996 NBA draft ,

16761-597: The season, Rodman grabbed 20 or more rebounds 11 times and had his first triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 16, 1996, scoring 10 points and adding 21 rebounds and 10 assists; by playing his trademark tough defense, he joined Jordan and Pippen in the All-NBA Defense First Team. On March 16, 1996, Rodman head butted referee Ted Bernhardt during a game in New Jersey ; he

16912-424: The season, two games behind the Lakers who won the division. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Suns lost to the Spurs in five games, the first time they did not advance past the first round in the D'Antoni-Nash era. Some have attributed this to the mid-season acquisition of aging former MVP Shaquille O'Neal for four-time All Star Shawn Marion. Though O'Neal was brought in as a physical presence to match with

17063-408: The second point-guard, after Magic Johnson , to win the award in consecutive seasons. Also, Diaw was named NBA Most Improved Player . The Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers . After winning the first game in Phoenix, they found themselves trailing in the series 3–1 after impressive performances by Lakers' shooting guard Kobe Bryant . However,

17214-481: The series, before winning game four at San Antonio 111–106. The team then lost game five at home 101–95 to be eliminated from the playoffs. Stoudemire averaged 37.0 points per game during the series against the Spurs, the highest ever by a player in the Western Conference finals. The 2005–06 NBA season began with Stoudemire undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee on October 18, 2005, missing all but three games that season. Shooting guard Joe Johnson also demanded

17365-466: The start of the season, but he managed to procure himself an assistant coach gig with the Orlando Magic after their first game of the season. Nevertheless, with the presence of players like Rodman, Gaines and Tabuse under new head coach Earl Cureton , the Jam would hold a 24–7 record. It was not only considered the best record of the league that season, but also gave the Jam a bye all the way into

17516-406: The state of Arizona). The franchise began play in 1968 as an expansion team . Though their early years were mired in mediocrity, their fortunes changed in the 1970s after partnering Dick Van Arsdale and Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal . The team reached the 1976 NBA Finals , in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture a championship,

17667-602: The team with a 10-4 second half during that season, which produced them with the second-best record in the Red Division. The Jam competed in the playoffs and made it to the quarterfinals, where they lost 130–115 to the Utah Snowbears (who produced a 25–1 that season), who would surprisingly end up forfeiting their last match to the Bellevue Blackhawks (potentially due to sunk costs with the team) since

17818-514: The team would relocate to the metro Phoenix area for the following season. However, the team withdrew entirely from the 2020–21 season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic when the G League held the abbreviated season in a bubble in Orlando, Florida . On July 29, 2020, the Detroit Pistons announced that the organization had purchased the Northern Arizona Suns from the Phoenix Suns and were relocating

17969-403: The team, but it would also allow the Jam to operate under their own management in the process. On May 9, it was confirmed that the Suns and the Jam would agree to working under a hybrid affiliation. Four days later, the Jam completed their transition by allowing Suns scout Bubba Barrage to be the team's newest general manager and letting Nate Bjorkgren coach the Jam in place of Will Voigt . Since

18120-471: The team. Additionally, their Hall of Fame radio announcer Al McCoy is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history. The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968–69 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks from Milwaukee . They were the first major professional sports franchise in the Phoenix market and in the entire state of Arizona, and remained the only one for

18271-441: The time. About playing next to the iconic Jordan and co-star Scottie Pippen , Rodman said: On the court, me and Michael are pretty calm and we can handle conversation. But as far as our lives go, I think he is moving in one direction and I'm going in the other. I mean, he's goin' north, I'm goin' south. And then you've got Scottie Pippen right in the middle. He's sort of the equator. Although struggling with calf problems early in

18422-405: The way I want to live it and be happy doing it.' At that moment I tamed [sic] my whole life around. I killed the person I didn't want to be." The book was later adapted for a TV movie Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story . Although he had three years and $ 11.8 million remaining on his contract, Rodman demanded a trade. On October 1, 1993, the Pistons dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs . In

18573-466: The way as head coach during the first half of the 2004–05 season. On January 17, 2005, Archibald resigned from his position as head coach and had former player and future head coach of the Phoenix Mercury , Corey Gaines , assigned as their new head coach during the second half of their season. In that season, they managed to produce an 18–10 record in a greatly expanded ABA, with Gaines improving

18724-532: Was a contest where the fans could decide on a new name for the team. The choices were to rename the team Desperados , Roughnecks , Oilers , or keep the name Jam. On May 17, the team announced that the team will remain the Bakersfield Jam, as that name won the poll in a landslide vote. The team played at Rabobank Arena until 2009 and later at the Jam Events Center . On April 29, 2009, it

18875-489: Was also a part of the Sarver-led investment group that purchased the franchise from Jerry Colangelo . His first off-season signing was former Orlando Magic small forward Grant Hill on a one-year $ 1.8 million deal with a player option for a second season at $ 2 million. Hill, who was previously considered injury-prone, played in the majority of games over the next four seasons as a starter. The Suns finished 55–27 on

19026-465: Was among 28,000 entries that were formally chosen in a name-the-team contest sponsored by The Arizona Republic , with the winner awarded $ 1,000 and season tickets for the inaugural season. Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars. Stan Fabe, who owned a commercial printing plant in Tucson, designed the team's first iconic logo for

19177-427: Was considered a big liability: on December 29, 1997, Bubba Wells of the Dallas Mavericks committed six intentional fouls against him in only three minutes, setting the record for the fastest foul out in NBA history. The intention was to force him to attempt free throws, which in theory would mean frequent misses and easy ball possession without giving up too many points. However, this plan backfired, as Rodman hit 9 of

19328-505: Was counterproductive because it would force him off his man and leave the Spurs prone to giving up scoring opportunities. He even went off on the organization, including general manager Gregg Popovich , in the locker room following a game, saying that everything they did "sucked" and that Hill was "a loser". The Spurs would lose in six games, in a series Rodman said they "could have and SHOULD have" won. Rodman admitted his frequent transgressions, but asserted that he lived his own life and thus

19479-610: Was despite the fact that the Phoenix metropolitan area was growing rapidly, and the Suns would have built-in geographical foes in places like in San Diego , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Seattle . After continual prodding by Bloch (who became president of the Phoenix Suns), in 1968 the NBA Board of Governors granted franchises to Phoenix and Milwaukee on January 22, 1968, with an entry fee of $ 2 million. The Suns nickname

19630-502: Was drafted with the 14th pick in the 1988 draft . Kurt Rambis was added from the Charlotte Hornets in 1989, and the team upset the Los Angeles Lakers in five games during the playoffs that season, before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. In 1990–91 , the Suns went 55–27 but lost in the first round to the Utah Jazz , 3–1. In 1991–92 , the Suns went 53–29. Having sent four players to

19781-571: Was either benched or cut from the squads. Measuring only 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) as a freshman in high school, he also failed to make the football teams and was "totally devastated". After finishing high school, Rodman worked as an overnight janitor at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport . He then experienced a sudden growth spurt from 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and decided to try basketball again, despite becoming even more withdrawn because he felt odd in his own body. A family friend tipped off

19932-457: Was fined $ 20,000, but it was not even ten percent of what he earned with this stint. However, Rodman's on-court performance remained top-notch, again shutting down Malone in Game Four until the latter scored 39 points in a Jazz Game Five win, bringing the series to 3–2 from the Bulls perspective. In Game Six, Jordan hit the decisive basket after a memorable drive on Jazz forward Bryon Russell ,

20083-531: Was fined $ 68,000. The following 1992–93 season was even more tumultuous. Rodman and Annie Bakes, the mother of his daughter Alexis, were divorcing after a short marriage, an experience which left him traumatized. The Pistons won only 40 games and missed the 1993 playoffs entirely. Four years later in his biography Bad As I Wanna Be , Rodman revealed just how far he had fallen. He had driven to The Palace of Auburn Hills in February 1993 late one night carrying

20234-429: Was four years old. According to Rodman, his mother was more interested in his two sisters, who were both considered more talented than he was in basketball and made him a laughingstock whenever he tagged along with them. He felt generally "overwhelmed" by the all-female household. Debra and Kim would go on to become All-Americans at Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin , respectively. Debra won two national titles with

20385-405: Was given immunity . No defendants ever went to trial: two of the players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another received probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a witch hunt tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for general manager Jerry Colangelo to lead

20536-505: Was going for his third consecutive MVP award against Dirk Nowitzki . Though the Suns won the game in double overtime, the Mavericks would finish with the West's top seed at 67–15, and Nowitzki would narrowly win the MVP award ahead of Nash. While the Mavericks were upset in the first round by the eight-seed Golden State Warriors, the 61–21 Suns defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in five games in

20687-588: Was involved in an incident during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves . After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin. Though he was not assessed a technical foul at the time, he ultimately paid Amos a $ 200,000 settlement, and the league suspended Rodman for 11 games without pay. Thus, he effectively lost $ 1 million. Missing another three games to suspensions, often getting technical fouls early in games and missing an additional 13 matches due to knee problems, Rodman

20838-502: Was mainly played as a small forward , and his usual assignment was to neutralize the opponent's best player; Rodman was so versatile that he could guard centers, forwards, or guards equally well and won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards . From 1991 on, he established himself as one of the best rebounders of all time, averaging at least 15 rebounds per game in six of the next seven years. Playing power forward as member of

20989-412: Was missed and Williams's production never met expectations due to injuries. The 1995–96 season was a disappointing year for the Suns, despite drafting NBA All-Rookie First Team member Michael Finley , who became unavailable for the playoffs due to injury. The Suns posted a 41–41 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs . Westphal was fired midway through

21140-416: Was named the first head coach for the Cruise on August 23. Roster Last transaction: November 19, 2024 Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". Nicknamed "

21291-460: Was not as effective in the 1997 playoffs , in which the Bulls reached the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz . He struggled to slow down Jazz power forward Karl Malone but did his share to complete the six-game Bulls victory. The regular season of the 1997–98 season ended with Rodman winning his seventh consecutive rebounding title with 15.0 boards per game, along with 4.7 points per game. He grabbed 20 or more rebounds 11 times, among them

21442-470: Was not well-received by the Riches due to the fact he was 22 years old and black, but the Riches were so grateful to him for bringing their son out of his shell that they were able to set aside their prejudices. Although Rodman had severe family and personal issues himself, he "adopted" the Riches as his own in 1982 and went from the city life to "driving a tractor and messing with cows". Though Rodman credited

21593-634: Was often described as shy and introverted in his early years. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself as a "bad boy" and became notorious for numerous controversial antics. He repeatedly dyed his hair in artificial colors, had many piercings and tattoos , and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad as I Wanna Be . Rodman also attracted international attention for his visits to North Korea and his subsequent befriending of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2013. In addition to being

21744-409: Was ranked No. 48 on the 2009 revision of SLAM Magazine ' s Top 50 Players of All-Time. In 2021, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Rodman as the 62nd greatest player in NBA history. Metta World Peace played one year with the 91 jersey number in homage to Rodman, who he described as a player who he liked "on the court as

21895-425: Was reported that the Jam had ceased operations, citing lack of sufficient fan attendance. However, on June 18, the Jam announced that they had not shut down and plan to play in the 2009–10 season, with further details to come the following day. On April 30, 2014, it was reported that the Jam would enter a hybrid operation with the Phoenix Suns . Not only would that lead to the Suns having exclusive collaborations with

22046-459: Was selfish about rebounding, but deemed him a hard worker and coachable. Rodman's defensive intensity returned while with Chicago. On offense, Rodman's output was mediocre. He averaged 11.6 points per game in his second season, but his average steadily dropped: in the three championship seasons with the Bulls, he averaged five points per game and connected on less than half of his field goal attempts. His free throw shooting (lifetime average: .584)

22197-465: Was supposed to be a game-winning basket, but due to fans rushing the floor before time officially expired, officials put one second back on the clock with Phoenix having possession of the ball, but under their own basket. Instead of attempting a desperation heave, the Suns' Westphal intentionally called a timeout that they did not have, a technical foul, giving the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White converted to put them up 112–110. However, this advanced

22348-566: Was suspended for six games and fined $ 20,000, a punishment that was criticized as too lenient by the local press. In the 1996 playoffs , Rodman scored 7.5 points and grabbed 13.7 rebounds per game and had a large part in the six-game victory against the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals : in Game Two at home in the Bulls' United Center , he grabbed 20 rebounds, among them a record-tying 11 offensive boards, and in Game Six, again at

22499-430: Was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves in that year's expansion draft and ended up on the Philadelphia 76ers when the Pistons could not reacquire him. It was feared that the loss of Mahorn – average in talent, but high on hustle and widely considered a vital cog of the "Bad Boys" teams – would diminish the Pistons' spirit, but Rodman seamlessly took over his role. Averaging 8.8 points and 9.7 rebounds while starting in

22650-538: Was the last Suns game ever played at the Coliseum . In 1992, the Suns moved into their new arena in downtown Phoenix, the America West Arena . The arena is occasionally referred to as the "Purple Palace" due to its purple seats, one of the Suns' colors. All-Star power forward Charles Barkley was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang , and Tim Perry . Barkley went on to win

22801-401: Was traded to the Lakers for former Sun and NBA all-star Cedric Ceballos . Cassell was later traded to Dallas for all-star guard Jason Kidd . With a mostly small lineup, the Suns put together an 11-game win streak that put them in the playoffs as the seventh seed , in a series that almost upset the favored Sonics. Despite the loss in the playoffs, the Suns became one of the few NBA teams to make

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