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Dennis Rodman Once Explained Why He Hated To Play Against James Worthy

January 9th, 2023

Over the years, many talented athletes have tried their luck in the NBA. But there haven't been many players who have had the same playing style as former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman.

Instead of polishing every aspect of his game, Dennis Rodman focused on just a single aspect of his game. He wanted to be better at rebounding than anybody else, and for what it's worth, Rodman achieved that.

Apart from being an elite rebounder, Rodman was also a good defender. It's evident from the fact that he once claimed how easily he would lock up the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant. But was there any player that Rodman had a hard time guarding?

Dennis Rodman Revealed Why Guarding James Worthy Was A Tough Task

Rodman was a fearless person on the court. He once wanted to fight Shaquille O'Neal on the floor as well but was wrestled to the ground by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to avoid the altercation.

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Anyway, Shaq wasn't the Los Angeles Lakers player that Rodman didn't like to play against. In an old interview, Rodman revealed it was James Worthy who he never really figured out how to guard.

The NBA player he hated to face? James Worthy. "Usually, the guys I defended were bigger than me," says Rodman. "But Worthy matched up height-wise, and I still couldn't guard his a**. He'd come off a screen, and I'd try to see if he was going over the top or underneath. Next thing I knew, he was at the rim."

Considering Rodman took pride in defending guys bigger than him all the time, it was someone who was similar to him in height that gave him the toughest time on the court. This just goes to prove that James Worthy is certainly one of the most underrated former stars of the game.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

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