In a recent discussion on the All the Smoke podcast, Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy delved into the intense battles he faced against the renowned defensive force Dennis Rodman, a five-time NBA champion celebrated for his tenacity and mental strategies.
Sharing his firsthand experience, Worthy revealed the intricacies of Rodman’s psychological tactics, emphasizing the discomfort he deliberately instigated in his opponents.
“He was bad, man. Dennis was a machine,” Worthy recounted. “He could guard anybody on the floor. He had the psychological games, he could get in your head. Before the game, you’d give him a dap. He squeezed my a*s a little too… It wasn’t like, ‘Let’s go’… So now you’re thinking…
“You running down the court thinking about this motherf*cker. while getting every f*cking offensive rebound there is. Because he knows how to get physical and play, and fly in. But his foot speed matched mine, so all my little quick sh*t was… So you had to be ready. Dennis was a beast, man.”
