What the post-90s generation learned by watching The Last Dance

Dennis Rodman’s complicatedness

Dennis Rodman’s party-centralized lifestyle was well-documented prior to the release of The Last Dance. However, we’re not so sure that the post-90s generation understood that it was as complex as the documentary chronicled.

Early on in the series — during episodes three and four, to be exact — the two-time Defensive Player of the Year requested a mid-season vacation in 1997-98 that was ultimately granted by Chicago’s brass. “The Worm” took off for Las Vegas with model girlfriend Carmen Electra and spent most of the subsequent weeks clubbing and drinking booze at strip clubs. The Bulls energizer bunny was so caught up in partying that he didn’t return on time and Jordan was forced to fly out to the Sin City and bring him back to the Windy City.

Flash forward to the final two episodes of TLD, and Rodman’s antics made a triumphant return. Prior to Game 4 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Rodman skipped practice to party it up with Hulk Hogan at a World Championship Wrestling event in Michigan. Even though Chicago won Game 3 by a whopping 42 points (96-54), we’re talking about the Finals! Imagine an integral role player doing that today. Twitter would probably crash from all the traffic and pandemonium.

Any other player — probably aside from MJ — would have been lambasted by teammates and the media. We would even go as far as to say that playing hooky during such a time would be grounds for a benching. Not Rodman, though, and that says everything about his enigmatic personality. It wasn’t always smooth sailing for head coach Phil Jackson, but the switch that Rodman flipped when he returned to the hardwood made it impossible to diminish his shenanigans.

To say that The Last Dance fully encapsulated Rodman’s need to be different would be an understatement. Not in a million years would the younger generation think it could’ve reached the extents that were brilliantly depicted in the doc.