1. Winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1990, and his speech thereafter
And the final underrated moment on this list from the polarizing NBA career and personal life of Rodman is something that we should look back upon in a positive light. Just like the Hall-of-Fame induction speech in 2011 showed, what Rodman said during his speech after receiving the Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 1989-90 season showed his true emotional side.
There’s nothing wrong at all with Rodman showing his true colors during his acceptance speeches for his major accolades and when he was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame. It wasn’t to the extreme on either the bad or good end with antics on and off-the-court.
This was the first of two Defensive Player of the Year awards that Rodman would receive during his playing days. He would win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons during his run with the Pistons. Rodman averaged 8.8 points per game, 9.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 0.6 steals during the 1989-90 season. That was a truly special year for Rodman because he would also nab his first career NBA All-Star selection.
Rodman was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. And he finally started to get the recognition he deserved from his efforts on the defensive end of the floor following the conclusion of the 1989-90 season, which was also one of five championship rings that Rodman would get. He almost posted a dozen defensive win shares in the two seasons where he won DPOY honors in the early 1990’s.