Be like the Worm...

I really enjoy Chicago sports.  I consider myself a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, I really like the Chicago Blackhawks, and I am very excited about what the Chicago Sky and the Chicago Bears did in their recent respective drafts.  However, I've never really been a huge fan of the Chicago Bulls, mostly because I grew up watching (and loving) my hometown team, the Indiana Pacers.  When I was young, the Pacers were the only professional sports team in Indianapolis (the Colts were the Baltimore Colts until 1984 and the WNBA didn't even exist).  Regardless of whether I like them or not, I have to admire and respect what the Bulls did during the 1990's.  They were by far the best team of that decade, and there is a pretty strong argument that they were one of the greatest teams of all time.  One of their most unusual players (and at times, an absolute disaster both on and off the basketball court) was Dennis Rodman, aka "The Worm".  

Just consider Rodman's resume.  He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times, and he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice.  He led the NBA in rebounds per game a record seven years in a row (despite being "only" six feet seven inches tall).  He won five NBA World Championships (two with the Detroit Pistons and three with the Chicago Bulls).  He was selected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.  His No. 10 jersey was retired by the Detroit Pistons.  He was one of the best defensive players in NBA history, and he is arguably the best rebounding forward ever to play the game.  

He only averaged more than 10 points per game (PPG) once, during his second year in the league with the Detroit Pistons.  During his three-year tenure with the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 5.5, 5.7, and 4.7 PPG, respectively.  The Bulls didn't need him to score, but he was an integral member and important contributor to the team's overall success.  He understood his role, and he played it extremely well.

If you watch the docuseries "The Last Dance", pay attention to Episode 3, which covers Rodman's time with the team in depth.  He approached rebounding very scientifically.  He studied film extensively - and what he studied most intensely was what happened to the ball when opposing players missed the basket.  There is a famous video of former teammate Isiah Thomas discussing Rodman's approach to rebounding.  Rodman apparently used to stand by the basket during warm-ups, just to watch how the ball came off the rim.  Of course, his teammates just thought he was being lazy, and when they asked him what he was doing, he told them.  "I am counting your spins."  He would know how many spins the ball would make in the air after each player shot the ball.  He used that information to try to better predict where the ball would end up, so that he could position himself in exactly the right spot to make the rebound.  

Rodman would apparently go the gym late at night with his friends and ask them to shoot, just so he could study how the ball moved off the backboard or rim.  Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in history, once called Rodman "one of the smartest guys I played with."  Rodman was the best at rebounding because he worked the hardest to perfect his craft.

If Rodman had tried to make his living scoring baskets, he probably wouldn't have lasted very long in the NBA (and maybe he wouldn't have even played in the NBA).  He understood his role and how best he could contribute to the team.  Just as in basketball, in any organization there are going to be superstars and role players.  If you happen to be a role player, be the best at that role that you can possibly be (see my previous posts on this exact point, "I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven", "He's the glue", and "In search of David Ross").  Be like the Worm.