- Dennis Rodman is often considered the best rebounding forward in NBA history
- The New Jersey native won five NBA championship rings before retiring in 2000
- He welcomed three children with two women
Dennis Rodman‘s life off the basketball court has been as much a spectacle as when he was known as the “Bad Boy” of the NBA. Before retiring in 2000 with five championship rings and the non-official title of “best rebounding forward in NBA history” (per SBNation), Dennis handed out $100 bills to Detroit’s homeless, missed a stadium opening because he was coloring his hair and dressed in a wedding gown to marry himself in 1996, per Vulture.
His love life has been a bit all over the place as well. Before being romantically linked to both Madonna and Carmen Elektra, Dennis was married to his first wife Annie Banks, and they welcomed daughter Alexis. With his third wife, Michelle Moyer, he welcomed a son, Dennis Jr. and another daughter, Trinity. However, the athlete admitted he wasn’t always playing his A-game when it came to being a father.
In 2019, ahead of the release of his ESPN documentary, Rodman: For Better or Worse, Dennis revealed his “major demon” is “trying to convince” himself that he’s “a good dad.” He told ESPN at the time, “It’s hard for me. It’s very hard for me to try to break out of that cycle. It’s just one of those things where I never had anyone to ever do that [be a dad] for me and I think sometimes, ‘Why am I doing it for somebody else?'”
More recently, however, the basketball icon has made moves to reconcile his past parenting fails. Learn all about his three children, how they responded to his dad do-over and where they stand with the former “Bad Boy” of the NBA, below.
Alexis
On Sept. 28, 1988, Dennis and Annie welcomed their only child together, daughter Alexis. As the couple were on-and-off, they married in September 1992 but divorced 82 days later. In 2013, Dennis said he had just seen 24-year-old Alexis for the first time in “years,” per Oprah: Where Are They Now?.
The NBA icon appeared to be in Alexis’ life years later when she welcomed her first child, son Vincent, with her husband, Robert Bunfill, whom she married in 2014. “Wow, congrats to my daughter Alexis and her husband for the birth of their 1st baby: Vincent!,” Dennis tweeted in June 2017. “I can’t believe I’m a Grandfather!” Alexis does not appear to have an Instagram account as this time.
Trinity
Trinity made her grand entrance into the world on May 20, 2002, welcomed by her parents, Dennis and his then-girlfriend, Michelle Moyer. The couple married in May 2003, but did not raise Trinity together. “We won’t live together,” Dennis told the Los Angeles Times after his wedding to Michelle. “I like it like that. She and the kids come over on weekends.”
Michelle filed for divorce in 2004, but the couple remained legally married until 2012, when she filed for divorce again.
“Having a dad like I do, no one asks about my mom because she’s obviously not an NBA star,” Trinity told The Guardian in 2021. “But I just want people to know that my mom’s been my support system in everything in life … She’s an extremely strong woman. She’s my role model.”
Meanwhile, Trinity has been making a name for herself in the soccer world. The talented forward began her career in the National Women’s Soccer League after being drafted second overall in 2021 at just 18 years old. And in her first game, the young athlete scored a goal for her Washington Spirit team — and made history by becoming the youngest American goalscorer in league history. And now she’s playing in the U.S. World Cup!
While she certainly shares some amazing athletic genes with her famous father, Trinity’s relationship with him hasn’t always been their strong point. “I go months if not years without his presence or communication,” Trinity said on Instagram in November 2021. “We don’t have the best relationship, but at the end of the day he’s human I’m human… he’s my dad, and I’m his little girl that will never change.”
A year later, Trinity revealed she is ok with their status. “I’ve gotten closure with it all,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I know he’s proud of me. I truly do. He has his own things to deal with but at the end of the day, he’s communicated to me that he knows I was going to be here, and that’s all I need.”
Dennis Jr. “DJ”
Dennis and Michelle welcomed their first child together, son Dennis “D.J.” Jr., on April 25, 2001. DJ was destined to hit the basketball court and he did it in a major way. In May 2019, D.J. made an exciting announcement on Instagram, revealing his commitment to play college basketball at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, starting from the 2019-2020 season.
Fast forward four years to May 2023, and he let the world know that he’s changing up his journey by transferring to the University of Southern California to join the Trojans’ team. Interestingly, he’ll be teaming up with Bronny, the eldest child of none other than NBA legend LeBron James. It’s a significant move for both players, and fans are eagerly looking forward to seeing them in action together.
Meanwhile, DJ hasn’t been afraid to speak openly about being raised by single mom Michelle. On Father’s Day in June 2020, he dedicated an Instagram post to her, who he said “played both father and mother figures” throughout his life. “Happy Father’s Day to the one who help me grow up to the person I am today and played both father and mother figures for my whole life❤️.”