50 Greatest NBA Players ever - 41 to 50 on our Best NBA Players list

#49 Dennis Rodman

Detroit Pistons Dennis Rodman, 1990 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Career averages: 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks per game

Shooting splits: 52.1% from the field, 23.1% from the 3-point line, 58.4% on free throws

Accolades: 5-time NBA champion (1989, 90, 96-98), 2-time Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1991), 2-time All NBA Third Teamer (1992, 1995), 2-time All Star (1990, 1992), 7-time All-Defensive First Teamer (1989-93, 1995, 1996), All-Defensive Second Teamer (1994)

Records: 7-time rebounding champion (1992-98)

The most dominant rebounder in the history of the game, and probably the only person in league history to legitimately be able to guard all 5 positions on the court, Dennis Rodman is the bonafide superstar of role players in the storied history of the league.

So good was he, in fact, that despite never being any kind of a tertiary scorer, Rodman found himself playing in 2 All-Star games at his peak with the Detroit Pistons because of the extraordinary impact he had as a rebounder and defender par excellence - much the same way as Draymond Green has had for the Warriors today.

A second-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft, Rodman found himself playing the role of starting forward with the Pistons midway through his second season - which is, by itself, a considerably tough achievement for a second-round pick. It was his propensity to grab offensive rebounds at an unnaturally high rate that intrigued coach Chuck Daly - Rodman finished his sophomore year averaging 3.9 offensive boards per game.

As the centerpiece of a historically strong defensive lineup, Rodman was tasked with guarding Magic Johnson in the 1988 NBA Finals, succeeding to a large extent in the limited role he had. The Pistons lost in 7 games largely because of injury to Isaiah Thomas, but they had their revenge with a 4-0 sweep in the next Finals series as Magic Johnson and Byron Scott went down for the Lakers in 1989. They would go on to repeat with a 4-1 win over the Trail Blazers in the 1990 Finals.

Moved to a starting role in the 1990-91 season, Rodman broke out as a dominant rebounder, averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, although the Pistons got swept by the Bulls in the Conference Finals. Following 2 more seasons of excellent all-round defensive play, which also landed Rodman 2 rebounding titles, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

After 2 seasons of finding his feet following a tumultuous divorce in a short-lived marriage, Rodman demanded another trade, and this time, he was sent to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Will Perdue and cash considerations.

The Bulls, buoyed by Rodman's presence in place of Horace Grant in the starting lineup, went on what was then a regular season record run of 72-10. They went on to win 3 titles in Rodman's 3 years with the Bulls, despite Rodman not having any kind of an off-court relationship with Michael Jordan.

Rodman had put together a staggering 7-year run of rebounding titles despite being only 6'7" and 220 pounds in this while, and he continued to be a dominant rebounder during his short-lived tenures with the Lakers in 1999 and the Mavericks in 2000. He announced his retirement after 2000, although he went on to play for various other teams thereafter while pursuing a career in movies.

Rodman will forever be a cult figure to remember the NBA by. His #10 jersey was raised to the rafters at the Palace after his retirement.

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