January 17, 1997: Just two days earlier, Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls shocked the sporting world with his actions in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tripping over cameraman Eugene Amos on the baseline, Rodman lost his temper and kicked Amos in the groin in one of the uglier moments in NBA history.
While Rodman wasn't accessed any technical foul or punishment on the court, the league came down hard on him, suspending him indefinitely. Ultimately Rodman would settle with Amos for $200,000 and miss 11 games without pay and receive a $25,000 fine, bringing his total to $1 million lost over the incident. It's still one of the longest suspensions in NBA history (although no where near Ron Artest's 86 games).
That same season Rodman missed another three games due to suspensions for technical fouls. "The Worm", as he was known, was one of the biggest bad boys in NBA history. Through his career with the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks, Rodman was a menace to opponents on the court, and would later become one off the court. He embraced the bad boy image, dying his hair all kinds of colors, tons of tattoos, body piercings, and a don't-give-a-s#$@-attitude.
Whatever his image was, Rodman became one of the best rebounders the game has ever seen, compiling 11 consecutive seasons of over 11 per game, including a career-high of 18.7 in 1991 with the Pistons. He was a 7-time All-Defensive First Team, and a 5-time champion (two with Detroit and three with Chicago).
Here's to the day the NBA finally kicked the bad boy of the league back.
