Latest sports news: Last Dance shows Dennis Rodman could have been a social media icon during his playing career, for good and for bad

Episodes three and four of The Last Dance had me thinking: what would Dennis Rodman’s career have been if he had taken a completely different path in the social media era.

The latest episodes of The Last Dance focused on Rodman’s life, the Bulls’ rivalry with the Bad Boys Pistons and the middle of the 1997-98 season. The physical punishment handed out by the Pistons and Michael Jordan overcoming it was the biggest takeaway, but Rodman was the biggest personality on Sunday night.

The hair colors, beer-drinking after games, flashy outfits and dating Madonna are all examples of events that would bring Rodman to social media fame today. But those pale in comparison to his partying lifestyle. Today, cameras are everywhere. The best example of a current athlete that comes to mind is Rob Gronkowski, who has been spotted partying on numerous occasions.

At one point in the documentary, Rodman told his teammates and coaches that he needed a break in the middle of the season. So he went to Las Vegas and partied away for 48 hours.

Could you imagine the social media backlash Rodman and the Bulls would have faced today when cameras spotted him partying on the other side of the country while the Bulls were competing for a third straight championship? Coaches and players get slammed today for sitting out games to rest.

Some will say Rodman was ahead of his time with his big personality. He would have so many more commercials and financial opportunities today.

Having said that, if cameras followed his every step during his playing career, the commissioner would’ve been forced to hand out suspensions after the Las Vegas incident, and who knows how Rodman would have responded to that.

One dunk contest snub was enough. Aaron Gordon hasn’t let go of his second snub, which came in the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest after he lost to Derrick Jones Jr.

Gordon dropped a diss track targeted at Dwyane Wade, who famously gave Gordon a 9 out of 10 score on his final dunk. Gordon named the song 9 out of 10.

In the song, Gordon throws subliminal shots at Wade without saying his name and talking about how he robbed him of financial gains. He also makes his case by stating he dunked over the biggest guy in the building (Tacko Fall), and talking about how the snub has motivated him.

Here are some of the bars from Gordon’s song.

“Saw you in the hallway and you said ‘youngin’ put on a show,’ Didn’t know that’s the code for you about to get rolled.”

“God willing, the best and I still am. Your judgment gives me no fulfillment.”

The NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement mandates that the winner of the dunk contest earns $100,000. Combined with the expected increase in endorsements, Gordon probably lost out on a lot more. Then if you factor in his other snub against Zach LaVine in 2016 ...

As far as his bars, Gordon had a nice flow and sprinkled in some good bars with a smooth beat that complimented his sound. The only problem with the song is, Wade wasn’t the only judge who gave Gordon a nine. So did Pippen and Chadwick Boseman, but he only targeted Wade. Gordon’s creativeness gets bonus points, too. He was drinking some of Wade’s famous wine in the intro of his video.

If you were expecting a diss track response from Wade, don’t get your hopes up. He took the opposite approach and gave Gordon financial advice.

I’ll give the song a (wait for it) .... 9 out of 10. Hopefully no diss track is coming my way.