Dennis Rodman Wants NBA Players to ‘Bow Down’ to Owners


by Marcel Mutoni@marcel_mutoni

Dennis Rodman was around during the last NBA lockout in 1999, and as far as he’s concerned, the owners accepted defeat at the time, and gave the players “everything” they wanted.

The Worm’s advice to today’s locked out NBA players is to “bow down” to team owners in the latest labor fight. Rodman recognizes that it’s the owners’ fault for foolishly signing certain players to the deals that they do, but the players should agree to play ball a little bit here.

His reasoning? Most NBA players haven’t done anything to earn the money.

Rodman made his comments at a racehorsing event in Canada, and the Toronto Sun has the quotes:

As is his custom, the flamboyant Rodman didn’t leave quietly suggesting to reporters, when asked about the current NBA lockout, that NBA players should just take whatever the owners offer and get back to work. “I just think that … the players should bow down,” Rodman said. “They should bow down. In 1999 we (were locked out) and we missed half the season. The owners bowed down then. They gave the players everything. I think the players should do the same thing for the owners because today most of these teams are losing money. It’s not the players’ fault. It’s the owners’ fault. I think they should give a little bit and move on.”

Rodman insists he’s not taking the owners’ side in all of this but it’s apparent he doesn’t believe today’s NBA player deserves the kind of money he is getting. “I don’t think they work that hard because most of the players don’t give a damn about the game. They want the money. I’m not taking the owners’ side, I just think the players should look at themselves. ‘OK, I’m making $16-million or $17-million a year but what have I accomplished?’ Most of the players haven’t accomplished anything. That’s what you have to look at.”

I’d argue that most reasonable NBA fans realize that the League’s owners are trying to give players a raw deal in this labor fight — regardless of who may or may not “deserve” the money they’re currently getting paid.

Ideally, neither side would have to bow down in order to get a deal done. But there’s nothing ideal about the current labor situation in the NBA.