Dennis Rodman

Yeah you read that right and I'll repeat it How you look and carry yourself matters!! More than the pencil necks over on Strength Coach Twitter want you to believe!!  Here's my question  'Why is it the ones that say it doesn't matter always seem to have the same look... like their shirts on a wire hanger!!?

Back to my story.  Dennis signed with the Spurs in 1993 and promptly made Coach Pop and the ownership of the Spurs aware of what was to come.  First he was late for the press conference announcing his signing and when he came in the world knew why he was late... he'd gone to the hair salon and dyed his hair blonde!!! That afternoon David Robinson and a few others brought Dennis down to the Riverwalk to show him around they landed at Dick's Last Resort because the Spurs players got a $50 off card. 

Dennis walked past me then just stopped and walked over to me and said .... "I know you don't I?"   Lord you should have seen the faces on my co-workers and the people around!! 

I said "Yeah we met a couple times when I was at a few Detroit Pistons games including a couple play off games during the 1989-90 NBA Championships".  I continued "I trained David Greenwood who played on the Pistons with you?"   

He smiled and said "How the hell could I forget you... Look at the damn size of you.  I remember thinking that you were a huge dude then I saw you working David and training yourself lifting heavy and box jumping but it was when you were messing around and threw a ball from the baseline and hit the opposite backboard so hard the boys on the team thought it was gonna break!!!"

As I think about it now I smile because it's not the first time I've heard this that it wasn't just my size but my ability to do something with that strength and size!!

Dennis was a workhorse and a blast to train.  We always trained late at night at Olympic Gym long after it closed then we'd go eat!!

His work capacity was unbelievable and Brungy who was the Spurs Strength and Conditioning Coach and later would hire me as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Spurs use to tell me that Dennis would ride the bike for 45 minutes and lift before the game and as soon as the game was over he'd be back on the bike for another 45 minutes!!! 

I've got a few stories about the harassment Dennis got from some of the idiots that came in to Dick's but Dennis just wanted to eat and listen to the band for a set then he'd head out.  He ordered the same thing every time he came in... 2 orders of Fried Catfish and Iced Tea!!!  He came in early before any crowds and would always sit in my section so he could be left alone to eat.

Play Hard ... Train Harder ... NO EXCUSES