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Tristan Thompson knows his Chicago Bulls history. The 2011 fourth overall draft pick paid homage to former Bulls great Dennis Rodman on Thursday after he signed with the Chicago franchise following his waiver from the Indiana Pacers.
Thompson told the media about the influence Rodman had on him:
"I idolized Dennis Rodman. I idolized 'The Worm.'"
Rodman played three seasons with the Chicago Bulls between 1996 and 1998. He won three titles for the franchise in those years alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Rodman's very first season with Chicago (1995-96) saw the Bulls become the first team in NBA history to get to 70 wins as they finished with an overall 72-10 record.
Thompson's comments about Rodman came shortly after he joined the Chicago Bulls. The 10-year veteran played just four games for the Indiana Pacers before joining the Bulls.
Before this stint with the Pacers, Thompson played 30 games for the Sacramento Kings, the team he was traded to by the Boston Celtics in the 2021 offseason. He was traded to Indiana by Sacramento just before the trade deadline, on February 8.
Dennis Rodman is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Dennis Rodman was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2011. He was enshrined in the hall on the back of his five NBA titles - the first two of which he won with the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990).
As far as individual accolades go, Rodman was a two-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and seven-time rebounding champion. He made it to the NBA's All-Defensive first team on seven occasions. His No. 10 jersey has been retired by the Detroit Pistons, the team that he played his first seven NBA seasons with.
Tristan Thompson now wants the Chicago Bulls, Rodman's third NBA team, to retire The Worm's jersey no. 91.
For all of his achievements, Rodman was selected to the NBA's 75th-anniversary team at the start of the 2021-22 season. Fans all over the world got to see him at the 2022 All-Star weekend (held in Cleveland). The 75 players who made it to the NBA's anniversary list were honored at half-time of the All-Star game.
Rodman was seen sharing an embrace with Michael Jordan at the ceremony. He also posed for pictures with some of the younger legends of the game, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade.
