Los Angeles Lakers: Did ESPN’s all-time NBA ranking get it right?

Dennis Rodman

ESPN rank: 62

Dennis Rodman‘s 1999 run with the Los Angeles Lakers was short (23 games) and forgettable, and he was past his prime at 37 years old. And still, “The Worm” managed to grab 11.2 rebounds per game for L.A. before his inglorious exit.

But Rodman isn’t on this list for anything he did with the Lakers. His heyday was with the Detroit Pistons and the Bulls, when he collected two NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophies, eight All-Defensive Team nods, two All-NBA and All-Star nods, five championships, and led the league in rebounding seven times.

Rodman’s No. 62 ranking is a shout-out to the defensive and rebounding specialists out there to show they weren’t entirely forgotten. Without looking it up, it’s safe to assume Rodman has the lowest scoring average of anyone in ESPN’s top 74. He produced just 7.3 points per game in his career, cracking double figures in only one season.

As much as some fans and media like to say they put a high value on defense, rebounding and overall selflessness and sacrifice on the court, the name of the game is still getting buckets.

For that reason, you can’t expect Rodman to crack anyone’s overall top 50, even if he is arguably the greatest rebounder and pound-for-pound defender the game has ever seen.