One of the best stories we have heard thus far in the documentary series “The Last Dance” was, not surprisingly, about Dennis Rodman. The story was about a time Rodman went to Las Vegas, and Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell had a hilarious reaction to it.
During episodes three and four of “The Last Dance,” it was revealed that former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson granted Rodman permission to go to Las Vegas for two days in the middle of the 1997-98 season. Rodman was helping carry the Bulls at the time because Scottie Pippen was out with an injury, so Jackson allowed him a 48-hour vacation. As Mitchell sees it, Pippen was the original founder of the concept of load management.
Say what you want Dennis Rodman invented load management
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 27, 2020
Load management has become quite common in recent years for star players like Kawhi Leonard, but those players usually do something boring like sitting on the bench in street clothes while resting. Rodman was partying in Vegas with his Playboy model girlfriend, and he had so much fun that Michael Jordan had to go to Sin City and drag his teammate home.
At its core, however, Rodman’s little midseason vacation was essentially load management. Mitchell makes a great point.
