Dennis Rodman's legendary 48hr Las Vegas trip during the 1998 NBA Finals

Unicorn
A wild story of 'backing it up'
The new film
The storyline
Story behind going to Vegas
Pippen issues
Jordan and Rodman
Slow start
'Hadn't accepted the role'
Taking a cigar
Take off
Pippen return
A change
'Dennis was a model citizen'
Return to Vegas
48 hours in Vegas
Living his best life
Jordan to the rescue
'He didn't come back on time'
Came back ready
Unicorn

Dennis Rodman was a basketball unicorn during the 1990s who burnt both ends of the stick with his wild partying and fierce style on the court for the Chicago Bulls.

A wild story of 'backing it up'

Fans of 'The Last Dance' will recall the wild story of Rodman's chaotic Vegas trip during the NBA finals. But there is even more to that story than the iconic Michael Jordan documentary will know.

The new film

The story is so wild that it's inspired a new film, '48 Hours in Vegas', which shows Rodman's party lifestyle during the Chicago Bulls' 1998 season. The film is currently in preproduction but has hit some snags, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Star Jonathan Majors was dropped in January 2024 due to his legal issues related to alleged domestic assault.

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The storyline

The proposed film, which has been in the works since 2022, will be set between January 1998 and June 1998, when Rodman went to Vegas and attended a WCW wrestling match during the NBA Finals, according to Variety.

Story behind going to Vegas

Let's look through the story that led Rodman to need to go to Vegas during a crucial point in the Bull's 1998 season.

Pippen issues

Before the 1997-98 NBA season, Scottie Pippen famously refused ankle surgery in the off-season after reports of him being traded and not getting a new lucrative contract.

Jordan and Rodman

Pippen decided to wait till the start of the regular season to get his ankle surgery, meaning he would miss nearly half of the season whilst he recovered, leaving Rodman and Michael Jordan to keep the team alive.

Slow start

Without Pippen, the Chicago Bulls had a sluggish start to the season, going 9-7 as they approached November 1997.

'Hadn't accepted the role'

According to gq.com, Michael Jordan said Rodman "hadn't accepted the role that Scottie wasn't going to be around."

Taking a cigar

Rodman was off the pace and got kicked out of the game, leading him to take Jordan a cigar to smoke with him as a way of saying sorry. In the 'Last Dance' documentary, Jordan said, "He didn't say an apology, but by him coming to my room, it was his way of saying, 'Look man, I screwed up."

Take off

From that point on, Dennis was 'straight as an arrow' owning his role as Jordan's sidekick and helping the Bulls to a 15-4 record before Pippen had recovered from his injury in January.

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Pippen return

With the Bulls on a streak, Scottie Pippen returned to the team and rescinded his trade demand after demanding one at the start of the season. He returned to the Bulls 35 games into the season.

A change

With Pippen back, old ways resumed as they always did before, Pippen would go back to being Robin to Michael's Batman, and Rodman would be the third string of the superstar trio.

'Dennis was a model citizen'

In the 'Last Dance' documentary, Jordan said, "When Scottie was out, Dennis was a model citizen, to the point that it was driving him insane."

Return to Vegas

The year before, Rodman went to Vegas during the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Once again, in 1998, he made the same request, asking coach Phil Jackson if he could blow off some steam in 'Sin City.'

48 hours in Vegas

Phil Jackson famously granted Rodman 48 hours in Vegas, sparking Jordan to react frustratingly, saying, "You aren't going to get that dude back in 48 hours. I don't care what you say. He's done", according to sportscasting.com.

Living his best life

According to sportscasting.com, Rodman partied with his girlfriend and famous model at the time, Carmen Electra, for longer than 48 hours in Vegas and continued to party in Chicago.

Jordan to the rescue

According to 'Last Dance' director Jason Hehir, Jordan and the Bulls athletic trainer had grabbed Rodman by his nose ring to bring him to practice after going to his apartment next to the United Center.

'He didn't come back on time'

In the 'Last Dance' documentary, Jordan famously said, "He didn't come back on time, we had to go get his a** out of bed, and I'm not going to say what's in his bed."

Came back ready

Despite his party antics, Rodman would go on to be huge for the Chicago Bulls, averaging 15 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 4.7 points, helping the Bulls to their second three-peat, sixth championship, and Rodman's fifth title.

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