Shaq Says Dennis Rodman Was His Worst NBA Teammate

Over his 20-year NBA career with six different teams, Shaquille O’Neal had hundreds of teammates.

One stands below the rest: Dennis Rodman.

“Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman,” O’Neal, the four-time champion and Hall of Famer, said on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” this week. “He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants.

“So we had to be there an hour before the game. He’d come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds.”

Rodman and O’Neal only played one year together in the league, 1998-99 with the Lakers, and Rodman only appeared in 23 games that season. Los Angeles was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs that year. But apparently that was enough to leave a negative impression on O’Neal.