NBA Draft: Top 30 draft steals in league history

Best NBA Draft steals of all time: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons

Dennis Rodman may be one of the most interesting players in NBA history.

Rodman played college basketball at Southeastern Oklahoma State University — an NAIA level school — before being selected 27th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Known for his defensive style of play, Rodman fit in well with the Detroit “Bad Boys” Pistons, helping them win a titles in 1989 and 1990.

While he bounced around the league later in his career — playing for the Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks — Rodman always provided great defense and an outstanding nose for rebounding.

Rodman averaged an impressive 13.1 rebounds per game for his career. Even more staggering, during the seven-year stretch between 1991 and 1998, he averaged 16.7 rebounds a game, including 18.7 a game in the 1991-92 NBA season with the Pistons.

Even though Rodman would never be mistaken for an offensive player, he racked up an impressive list of achievements, including: two selections as an NBA All-Star and the All-NBA team, being named Defensive Player of the Year in both the 1989-90 season and the 1990-91 season, eight selections to the All-Defensive Team, a five-time NBA champion and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

During his illustrious career, Rodman became most recognizable during his three-year stint with the Bulls where he joined with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to three-peat as NBA champions.

While Rodman started to garner more talk about his off-court antics, there is no denying the dominant force he was on the hardwood. Players like him are incredibly rare. Selecting him with the 27th overall pick makes Rodman one of the best draft steals of all-time.