Back In The Day NBA

Dennis Rodman Claims His Basketball Shoe Outsold The Air Jordan In 1996

Shandel Richardson

Dennis Rodman shares his thoughts with an official during a March 1998 game.
Dennis Rodman shares his thoughts with an official during a March 1998 game. / Anne Ryan, USA TODAY, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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NBA legend Dennis Rodman was known for a lot of things during his playing career.

There were the rebounds. The blonde hair. The tattoos. The piercings. Dating Madonna. Marrying Carmen Electra.

But his shoe game?

This is a new one but Rodman recently claimed his kicks were more popular than Michael Jordan in 1996. That was the year Nike released the Rodman-endorsed NDestrukt.

While speaking with GotSole, Rodman explained.


"I sold more than Mike and Mike was pissed," Rodman said. "Michael used to always to talk to me and say, `(bleep) you.' I said, `(bleep) you."'

The featured the Nike logo that was positioned differently. Rodman said Jordan wanted it.


"He wanted that logo," Rodman said. "He wanted that style. They gave it to me."


When Jordan told Rodman this info, his reaction was, "Great, that's cool."

Rodman said he never cared about shoes during his playing days. He claimed he never wore a pair of Jordans, the most popular shoe in history. It remains a best-seller despite Jordan retiring after the 2004 season.

"When I was playing in Chicago, I never wore Michael Jordan shoes," Rodman said.

He said he was all about winning. Rodman won five titles, including three alongside Jordan with the Bulls.

"I didn't care about the damn shoes," Rodman said. "I just wanted to win a championship."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com