Detroit Pistons: Best 5 draft picks in modern franchise history
By KC Whitten
4. Dennis Rodman
In the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft, the Pistons selected Dennis Rodman with the 27th pick. Rodman was considered an untested prospect entering the draft. Starting basketball at age 20, Rodman attended Southeastern Oklahoma State, an NAIA college.
Rodman wouldn’t become a consistent starter until the 1989-90 season, but contributed 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his first three seasons as a bench player. Rodman would become one of the most polarizing players in the history of the NBA, and he wasted no time igniting controversy in his first season.
After the Pistons’ Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Rodman made incendiary comments about Larry Bird. He said, ” Larry Bird is overrated in a lot of areas. I don’t think he’s the greatest player. He’s way overrated.”
“Why does he get so much publicity?” Rodman continued. “Because he’s white. You never hear about a black player being the greatest.”
Although Rodman could be offensive, he was so dominant that it didn’t matter. He won two NBA titles in Detroit, and led the league with 18.7 rebounds per game in the 1991-92 season. Rodman’s No. 10 was retired by the Pistons in 2011.