Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are by their nature emotional. This year’s was no different. There were memorable moments, watching Tex Winter get up to the stage, Artis Gilmore finally being recognized, Theresa Edwards’ powerful speech.
Dennis Rodman was Dennis Rodman — raw, emotional, wearing a sequin jacket with his number and saying Pistons and Bulls — and in the end powerful like few others.
“I didn’t play the game for the money. I didn’t play the game to be famous. What you see here is an illusion, that I love to be an individual that is very colorful….
“I could have been anywhere in the world. I could have been dead. I could have been a drug dealer. I could have been homeless, I was homeless. A lot of you guys here, a lot of you guys in the Hall of Fame know what I’m talking about, living in the projects. You just want to get out of the projects. And I did that, but it took a lot of hard work and a lot of bumps along the road…
“People ask if I have any regrets as a basketball player, I have one regret: I wish I was a better father.
Rodman talked about the pain of a dad who made money writing a book about him but never spoke to him. He talked about his mother, how their relationship was strained and he felt bad about that. He also talked about the four men who played the father role for him — Phil Jackson, Jerry Buss, Chuck Daly and James Rich. He thanked Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
We will get up the video soon. You need to see it (with the kids out of the room). But in the end, this was vintage Rodman. Flamboyant, raw and true.