Remember that time Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone became wrestlers?

Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone are best remembered for their Hall of Fame NBA careers, but many sports fans may not realize that the two forwards once participated in a tag-team wrestling match. We’ll look back at the unlikely spectacle that went down in 1998. All basketball-related statistics were sourced from Basketball Reference.

While WCW(World Championship Wrestling) never quite reached the same heights as the WWE, they did put on some memorable events. Bash At The Beach was an annual pay-per-view event the company held.

In 1998, WCW brought Rodman and Malone in for a special two on two match, featuring Rodman’s partner, Hulk Hogan, and Malone’s teammate, Diamond Dallas Page. Bash At The Beach was held in San Diego, California, that year.

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As basketball fans might wonder, why would two of the best players in the NBA at that time sign up for such an event? Notoriety and money seemed to be at the center of their motivation. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Malone earned $900,000 from his appearance, while Rodman netted $1.5 million.

Malone was often engaged with Hulk Hogan, as the two traded a variety of body slams and holds on one another. Rodman wore a “Rodzilla” T-shirt and an N.W.O bandana as he mixed it up with Diamond Dallas Page.

Perhaps the highlight of the match was Malone landing a “Diamond Cutter” finishing move on Rodman. The latter rolled out of the ring in pain, but Hogan was able to pin Diamond Dallas Page to secure a win for that pairing.

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Even after the match ended, Malone continued the show by bringing the referee down to the canvas while egging on the crowd.

While many would have expected Rodman to be involved in off-season shenanigans, some found it odd that Malone would agree to do something like this. As it turns out, the Utah Jazz star was a huge wrestling fan, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. He connected with Diamond Dallas Page a few months before Bash At The Beach.

Despite championship aspirations in the NBA, Malone found time to practice and train with Page, who gave him some valuable pointers. Malone was confident that he could hold up in a real match.

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As a notorious character himself, Rodman had already participated in WCW events in the past, which allowed Page and others to connect the dots for a potential match involving the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz stars.

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Malone, Rodman, Page and Hogan appeared on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” in order to get fans excited about the event. Rodman threw some shade addressing the fact that the Jazz couldn’t beat the Bulls on the court, so it was unlikely Malone would come out victorious in a wrestling match.

The Jazz and Bulls had met in two consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, which provided the perfect segway for Malone and Rodman to reconnect in July 1998. As it turned out, the two power forwards got tangled up in an infamous sequence during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, perhaps providing a sneak preview of what was to come a month later.

NBA on NBC Bob Costas offered his unprompted thoughts on Malone and Rodman’s participation after the aforementioned sequence. Costas told the public that the two were “scheduled to wrestle in one of those bogus events next month. Why Malone would lower himself to that is anyone’s guess.”

Rodman missed a practice after Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals in order to appear at a different WCW event. The Bulls ended up fining the forward for his absence, according to CBS News.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Malone fondly remembers his tag team match against Rodman. He also thanked Jazz owner Larry Miller for allowing him to participate.

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In January 2024, World Wrestling Entertainment star “Bayley” said that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green would be a natural in the ring. Bayley said “I think there is always a place for someone like him, and an athlete like him, with such a big personality. Bayley made these comments on the Gabby AF podcast.