“It was definitely an occupational hazard to be
Dennis's girlfriend.”—Celebrity Carmen Electra, on her time dating Chicago
Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, featured in the ESPN documentary The Last Dance, Episode 4,
original air date Apr. 26, 2020
When it comes to depicting Michael Jordan and the
group he famously called “my supporting cast” are concerned, only one writer
could depict them in all their complexity: William Shakespeare. And The Bard
would have to look beyond the conventional tragedies and comedies he is
generally known for, to the “problem plays” of his late period.
The
Tempest comes to mind in thinking of the storms threatening
to capsize the Chicago Bulls in their 1997-98 season. Jordan is easy to
imagine as Prospero, a ruler brimming with old hurts and resentments, who
dominates his carefully preserved realm against outside usurpers through an
iron will and magical abilities.
But Shakespeare would have to fashion the rudiments
of Dennis Rodman from another character: Falstaff, another lord of misrule and virtual
law unto himself. Rodman might be more notable for length than girth, but he
was as bent on revelry as Prince Hal’s roguish pal, his immense skills leading
coach Phil Jackson and the team to barely tolerate his antics.
I missed the first 2½ hours of The Last Dance, but came in on what may well end up being the comic
highlight of the series: Dennis Rodman’s “vacation” in Las Vegas, in the middle
of the last season of their legendary championship run, taken when the forward
could no longer take being “a model citizen” for the team while Scottie Pippen
recuperated from a lengthy injury.
The 48 hours allotted by Jackson to Rodman went
longer, as Jordan had correctly predicted. So it fell to His Airness to drag
Rodman out of the Sin City hotel room where he was holed up with Ms. Electra.
Jordan’s comments on what he discovered are
hilarious: “We had to go get his ass out of bed. And I'm not gonna say what's
in his bed, or where he was, or blah blah blah." But Ms. Electra—perhaps better
known for his visual appeal than for her way with words—was, in the quote
above, masterfully succinct.
Yeah, I know—there are six more hours to go in The Last Dance. But
right now, I have my money on Ms. Electra delivering the comic sound bite for
the entire series.
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